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The  Citrus  Fruits 

Historically       Horticulturally       Commercially 


A  preachment  on  their  culture 
from  the  seed  to  the  full  bearing 
orchard,  describing  methods  of 
propagating,  budding,  cultivating 
fertilizing,  irrigating,  packing  and 
shipping.  By  R.  M.  Teague 


SAN    DIMAS,  CAL.: 

THE   SAN    DIMAS    CITRUS    NURSERIES 

One        Nine        Naught        Seven-Eight 


A   COMPOSITE    SPRAY    OF   CITROUS    FRUITS. 


MARSH'S  SEEDLESS  POMELO. 

KUM-QUAT. 
DANCY   TANGERINE 


EUREKA    LEMON. 
RUBY   BLOOD. 
VALENCIA  LATE. 


The  Money-Making  Golden   Globes.  : 


THE     DELIGHTFULLY     FRAGRANT     KUMQUAT. 


NO  one  industry  has  done  more  to  individualize  Southern 
California  than  the  growing  of  citrus  fruits,  of  which 
she  now  produces  larger  quantities  than  all  of  the  remain- 
der of  the  United  States  combined.  And  this  is  not  by  chance, 
nor  because  the  industry  has  found  the  greatest  investments  of 
capital  here,  but  because  the  soils  and  climates  of  this  section 
are  peculiarly  to  the  liking  of  the  orange  and  the  lemon  tree. 
To  show  how  thoroughly  this  fact  has  become  recognized  in  the 
markets  of  the  world,  it  is  only  necessary  to  note  the  onward 
trend  of  the  industry  since  it  assumed  national  importance  in 
the  annals  of  trade  and  the  statistical  division  of  the  National 
Department  of  Agriculture.  The  figures  tell  the  story  more 
forcibly  than  mere  words: 

TOTAL    OUTPUT    OF    CITRUS    FRUITS. 

SEASON.  CARLOADS. 

1891  '92 4,016 

1892  -'93 4,400 

1893 -'94 5,871 

1894  -'95 5,022 

1995  -'96 7,575 

1896  '97 7,350 

1897 -'98 15,840 

1898 -'99 10,875 

1899 -'00 18,400 

1900  '01 24,854 

1901  -'02 20,397 

1902  -  '03 22,425 

1903  '04 27,899 

1904 -'05 28,000 

The  monied  annual  value  of  the  crop  aggregates  something 
like  nineteen  millions  of  dollars, — a  sum  so  vast  as  to  make  of 
it  easily  the  leading  industry  of  the  country.  This  importance, 
coupled  with  the  ever  increasing  demand  for  good  trees  and  a 
wider  thirst  for  specific  information  on  the  various  divisions  of 
the  business,  has  induced  us  to  prepare  this  booklet  on  Citrus 


Culture,  aiming  to  give  in  as  a  small  a  space  as  possible  the  prac- 
tical side  of  the  growing  and  marketing  of  oranges  and  lemons. 
What  is  here  written  will  be  found  reliable  and  to  the  point  in 
every  detail.  We  have  been  especially  careful  and  conservative 
in  our  desrciptions  of  varieties,  aiming  to  be  plain,  concise  and 
to  the  point.  The  numerous  half-tones,  showing  views  of  our 
large  lath  houses  in  which  we  store  our  stock  preparatory  for 
shipment;  also  of  our  seed  beds,  illustrating  the  strong  and 
vigorous  growth  of  our  seedling  stocks,  one  containing  75,000 
Citrus  Trifoliata  plants,  photographed  nine  months  from  planting; 
and  the  other  showing  200,000  Sweet  Seedling  stock.  Those 
illustrating  orchards  planted  to  our  trees  and  those  picturing 
methods  of  irrigation  are  direct  from  photographs,  hence  true 
to  nature.  Of  themselves,  they  form  a  splendid  object  lesson 
in  the  growth  and  care  of  a  citrus  orchard,  and  also  show  that 
our  trees  are  properly  grown  in  the  nurseries  to  produce  best 
results  when  submitted  to  the  test  of  orchard  growth.  The 
text  which  accompanies  the  illustrations — the  instructions  on 
planting,  care,  etc., — will  be  found  valuable  and  to  the  point. 

Long  experience  has  shown  us  the  urgency  of  keeping  our 
varieties  true  to  name,  and  hence  we  are  at  all  times  anxious  and 
willing  to  replace,  on  good  and  sufficient  evidence,  all  trees  that 
may  prove  otherwise;  nevertheless,  it  is  mutually  understood 
and  agreed  between  the  purchasers  and  ourselves  that  we  shall 
not  at  any  time  be  liable  for  any  amount  greater  or  in  excess  of 
the  original  price  of  the  stock  at  date  of  sale.  Certain  it  is,  the 
class  of  trees  we  grow  are  good  producers  of  fine  fruit.  Where 
one  order  goes,  others  are  sure  to  follow. 

In  conclusion,  we  wish  to  thank  our  friends  and  patrons  for 
the  liberal  patronage  extended  in  the  past,  with  the  hope  that 
we  shall  merit  their  future  valued  orders. 


THE    SAN    DIMAS    CITRUS    NURSERIES 


R.   M.  TEAGUE, 

PROPRIETOR. 


SAN    DIMAS,  CALIFORNIA,   U.  S.  A. 


274366 


LATH    HOUSE    SHOWING   4,000   LEMON   TKEES    (BALLED)    READY    FOE    SHIPMENT. 


Timely  Suggestions  to  Intending  Purchasers. 


HOW  TO  ORDER.— State  specifically  the  size  and  variety 
of  trees  you  want,  and  also  give  a  few  general  hints  as 
to  your  soil  and  climatic  conditions.     From  unknown 
parties  we  demand  a  remittance  or  deposit  of   50  per  cent  of 
order,  or    good   references.     Send    money  by  bank  draft,  post- 
office  or  express  order,  or  registered  letter. 

LOCATION. — The  land  upon  which  our  nurseries  are  situated  is 
conceded  to  be  the  best  for  growing  citrus  nursery  stock,  pro- 
ducing a  fine  grade  of  tree,  with  a  root  system  of  great  vigor, 
making  transplanting  safe  and  easy. 

QUALITY  OF  STOCK.— All  of  our  trees  are  grown  to  stakes, 
and  are  straight  and  thrifty,  budded  at  the  ground  and  well  rooted. 
Good  stock  is  the  foundation  of  success.  He  who  plants  an  orange 
or  a  lemon  grove  plants  for  generations;  hence,  in  choosing  stock 
be  careful  to  get  only  the  best  obtainable. 

GUARANTEEING  TREES.— We  guarantee  all  trees  shipped 
from  our  nurseries  to  be  as  represented.  We  personally  attend 
to  the  budding  of  all  our  trees,  and  use  the  utmost  care  to  insure 
them  true  to  name. 

PACKING. — We  pack  all  trees  in  the  best  possible  manner,  in 
bales  and  boxes,  according  to  size  of  order  and  distance  of  ship- 
ment. Trees  can  be  sent  with  safety  to  any  part  of  the  United 
States  or  foreign  countries.  We  make  a  small  charge  for  packing, 
just  sufficient  to  defray  cost.  Sample  trees  furnished  intending 
buyers. 

TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES.— Our  transportation  fa- 
cilities are  excellent,  being  midway  betweeen  the  Southern  Pacific 
and  Santa  Fe  railways;  hence  jwe  ship  via  either  road. 


SHIPPING  INSTRUCTIONS.— Please  furnish  explicit  direc- 
tions for  shipping  and  by  what  route.  In  the  absence  of  any 
instructions  we  ship  according  to  our  best  judgment,  but  in  no 
case  do  we  assume  any  responsibility  for  condition  or  safe  delivery 
of  trees  after  same  have  been  properly  packed  and  delivered  to 
transportation  companies. 

PRICE. — The  matter  of  price  depends  somewhat  on  size  of 
trees,  quality  of  stock,  variety  of  fruit,  etc.  We  sell  according  to 
condition  of  stock  and  customer's  wants.  We  grade  our  citrus 
stock  by  caliper,  measurement  being  made  one  inch  above  the 
bud,  and  thus  are  able  to  offer  any  size  that  is  required.  We 
have  buds  one,  two,  and  three  years  old.  We  have  citrus  trees  of 
all  grades  and  at  all  prices  and  are  able  to  meet  competition  from 
whatever  source.  Prices  on  application. 

BOOKING 'ORDERS  AHEAD.— The  demand  for  trees  prom- 
ises to  be  unusually  active,  hence  it  is  advisable  for  intending 
purchasers  to  place  their  orders  early,  and  thus  insure  the  pick  of 
the  stock  and  be  assured  of  having  their  wants  satisfied.  We 
book  orders  ahead,  and  take  every  precaution  to  protect  our  cus- 
tomers, both  in  the  way  of  reserving  the  trees  as  well  as  in  the 
matter  of  quality.  Write  us  for  prices  and  particulars. 

TRUE  TO  NAME.— Our  trees  are  all  budded  from  bearing 
trees  and  every  precaution  exercised  to  have  them  true  to  name, 
still  with  all  our  caution,  mistakes  are  liable  to  be  made,  but  we 
hold  ourselves  in  readiness,  on  proper  proof,  to  replace  all  stock 
which  may  prove  untrue  to  label,  free  of  charge;  or  to  refund  the 
amount  paid.  It  is  mutually  understood  and  agreed  between 
purchasers  and  ourselves,  however,  that  our  guarantee  of  genuine- 
ness shall,  in  no  case,  make  us  liable  for  any  sum  greater  than 
that  originally  paid  us  for  said  trees,  that  prove  untrue  to  name. 


The  Record  of  the  Past  the  Promise  of  the  Future. 


CITRUS  CULTURE  in  California,  like  so  many  other 
lines  of  fruit  growing,  took  its  inception  with  the  advent 
of  the  early  Missions  something  like  a  century  ago.  In  its 
beginnings  it  was  sparodic  in  character, — the  few  trees  of  oranges 
and  lemons  (more  especially  limes  in  the  earlier  period )  that 
dotted  the  landscape  over  widely  separated  points,  usually 
found  an  abiding  place  within  the  shadow  of  the  Mission  Churches 
or  their  immediate  environs.  For  the  most  part  they  were 
planted  to  supply  local  wants,  no  attention  whatever  being  given 
to  their  culture  as  an  article  of  commerce.  In  sort  and  variety 
they  were  also  limited,  consisting  chiefly  of  the  seedling  orange 
and  the  Mexican  lime.  This  dearth  in  kinds  and  sorts  was  uni- 
versal— it  was  as  pronounced  in  the  sheltered  portions  of  Northern 
California,  in  the  great  thermal  belt  of  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacra- 


when  the  railroads  were  completed  and  made  it  feasible  to  ship 
direct  to  the  Eastern  markets. 

Citrus  culture,  as  a  great  force  in  California's  horticultural 
development,  takes  its  date  from  about  1870.  One  year  previous 
to  that  time,  Riverside  had  already  taken  the  initial  steps  toward 
becoming  a  great  orange  growing  section — a  distinction  which 
has  been  augmented  with  the  years,  until  it  is  recognized  the  cen- 
ter of  the  industry  in  the  United  States.  At  about  the  same  time 
many  other  places  were  exploiting  orange  planting.  Growing 
settlements  with  citrus  culture  as  a  basic  industry  were  springing 
up  all  over  Southern  California,  but  chiefly  in  the  San  Gabriel 
valley.  For  the  most  part,  these  early  plantings,  when  coming 
into  bearing,  paid  handsome  returns.  In  not  a  few  cases  as  high 
as  $2,000  was  realized  from  a  single  acre,  and  from  $500  to  $1,500 


A    HISTORIC    WASHINGTON    NAVEL   ORANGE    GROVE,    29    YEARS   FROM    THE    BUD. 

This  grove  was  planted  to  seedling  stock  in  orchard  form,  and  the  following  year  budded  to  Washington  Navels.  In  the  early 
days  of  citrus  culture,  this  method  was  at  times  resorted  to,  because  buds  of  the  Navel  were  scarce  as  well  as  expensive,  and 
planters  sought  to  gain  time  by  this  practice.  The  buds  were  taken  from  the  celebrated  Tibbet's  or  parent  trees.  This  orchard 
has  been  in  constant  bearing,  and  is  still  a  valuable  possession.  At  the  time  the  ohotograph  was  taken,  the" grove  had  attained 
the  age  of  26  years  and  bids  fair  to  yield  the  golden  globes  for  another  quarter  of  a  century. 


mento  Valleys,  as  in  Southern  California.  In  so  far  as  progress 
and  development  was  concerned,  there  was  none  from  the  time 
of  the  advent  of  the  early  Missions  and  the  period  of  American 
occupation.  Even  after  that  period  the  advance  was  slow  and 
purely  local  in  character,  representing  small  plantings  of  trees 
in  gardens  and  limited  orchards  calculated  to  meet  a  local  demand 
for  fresh  fruit.  Some  efforts  were,  however,  a  feature  of  the  late 
sixties  and  early  seventies,  when  oranges  began  to  find  their  way 
by  ocean  vessels  to  San  Francisco  and  other  northern  points, 
chiefly  from  Los  Angeles  County.  These  early  shipments  were 
usually  sent  out  in  bulk,  sometimes  in  barrels,  sometimes  in  sacks, 
and  at  other  times  in  boxes.  In  the  northern  markets  these 
brought  good  prices,  which  greatly  advanced  the  interest  in 
citrus  culture  and  stimulated  planting  not  a  little.  The  first 
great  impetus  to  citrus  growing,  however,,  took  its  inception 


was  not  unusual.  Naturally  an  industry  yielding  returns  like 
this  attracted  men  and  money  from  all  sections,  with  the  result 
that  land  values  increased  rapidly  and  the  new  acreage,  being 
constantly  planted,  resulted  in  a  development,  the  like  of  which 
has  probably  no  parallel  in  the  annals  of  horticulture.  A  few 
figures  in  the  rough  will  tell  forcibly  the  giant  strides  made  in 
1890-'91,  when  Los  Angeles  County  shipped  2,212  cars  and 
San  Bernardino  County  (then  including  what  is  now  Riverside 
County)  1708  cars;  1898-' 99  when  the  total  cars  shipped  from 
Southern  California  aggregated  15,000,  valued  at  about 
$12,000,000.  Since  that  period,  the  advance  has  been  healthy, 
though  not  quite  so  pronounced.  At  the  present  writing,  the 
total  shipments  from  south  of  the  Tehachapi  range  of  mountains 
will  average  between  25,000  and  30,000  carloads,  valued  at 
about  $19,000,000. 


San  Dimas  Citrus   Nurseries 


6 


Citrus   Fruits   in   Central   California 


A    WASHINGTON    NAVEL,    GROVE    WITH    A    EECOKD. 

This  grove  comprises  10  acres,  was  planted  in  1890,  in  a  rich,  decomposed  granite  soil  to  second-size  trees,  and  by  reason  of  good 
care  has  proven  a  pronounced  success.  In  1892,  the  crop  sold  for  $80.00;  in  1893  for  $635.00;  in  1894  for  $2,780.00;  in  1895  for 
$2,840.00;  in  1896  for  $4.000.00;  in  1897  for  $5,300.00;  in  1898  for  $4,100.00  (this  was  the  season  of  heavy  wind  storms  when  the  trees 
lost  much  of  of  their  fruit) ;  in  1899  for  $5,830.00;  in  1900  for  $6,000.00;  in  1901  for  $6,250.00;  in  1902  for  $6,100.00;  in  the  years 
following  exact  data  is  not  available,  but  in  the  rough  the  returns  averaged  from  $6,000.00  to  $7,000.00  annually 


While  this  development  was  going  on  in  the  Southern  Counties, 
the  American  spirit  of  enterprise  was  not  idle  in  other  sections 
of  the  State.  In  the  thermal  belt  of  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  from 
the  southern  portion  of  Tulare  County  along  the  base  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  there  is  a  vast  area  of  country  adapted 
to  the  orange  and  the  lemon.  Experimental  plantings  here  and 
there  gave  early  evidence  of  climate  and  soil  conditions  favorable 
to  citrus  culture.  Notably  true  was  this  of  the  section  of  which 
the  town  of  Lindsay  is  now  the  citrus  fruit  center.  As  a 
business  proposition,  oranges  and  lemons  began  to  be  planted 
in  that  locality  about  fifteen  years  ago,  though  experimentally 
and  in  a  small  desultory  way  citrus  fruits  were  known  in  that 
neighborhood  as  early  as  1862-' 63.  Last  year  (1906-' 07)  the 
shipments  from  Central  California  aggregated  something 
like  2,000  carloads.  For  the  most  part  the  fruit  ripens  earlier 
than  in  Southern  California,  thus  insuring  an  independent  market 
which  in  no  way  conflicts  with  the  industry  as  between  one  section 
and  another.  At  present  there  are  about  4,500  acres  in  bearing 
and  fully  11,000  acres,  both  young  and  old,  planted  out.  The 
quality  of  the  fruit  is  in  every  way  superb,  clearly  indicating 
that  California's  sunshine,  soil  and  climate  are  quite  as  good 
in  one  section  as  in  another.  The  natural  supply  of  water  in  that 


region  is  ample,  and  warrants  the  prediction  that  at  no  distant 
date,  orange  shipments  will  be  as  pronounced  from  that 
section  as  raisins  are  from  Fresno. 

Besides  these  two  citrus  growing  empires  within  the  borders 
of  the  State,  there  is  also  what  is  known  in  the  trade  as  the 
Northern  Citrus  belt.  For  the  most  part  this  is  somewhat  broken 
up  or  scattered  over  several  counties,  including  Placer,  Sacra- 
mento, Butte,  Yuba,  Stanislaus,  Merced,  Sonoma,  etc.  At  partic- 
ular points  in  all  of  the  above  northern  and  central  counties, 
there  are  protected  areas  free  from  biting  frosts  in  which  citrus 
fruits  find  congenial  conditions.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
orange  and  lemon,  though  rated  as  tropical  fruits,  yet  find  a 
wide  geographical  distribution  in  a  State  which  is  nothing  if  not 
a  world  unto  itself  for  the  growing  of  almost  every  fruit  of  the 
temperate  and  tropic  zones. 

In  this  development  of  an  industry  so  great  and  profitable 
as  the  growing  of  oranges  and  lemons,  there  has  necessarily 
been  much  to  learn,  not  only  as  to  methods  and  management 
of  orchards,  as  well  as  conditions  and  environments,  but  also 
as  to  varieties,  methods  of  picking,  packing,  shipping  and  market- 
ing. The  present  generation  of  growers  owe  a  debt  to  the  pioneers 
of  the  industry  that  can  never  be  wholly  wiped  out.  How  many 


The  Northern   Citrus   Belt 


San   Lh'mas,   California 


varieties  have  been  discarded!  How  many  " Systems"  of  pruning, 
irrigating,  cultivating  are  now  only  the  lore  of  books!  How 
many  dissapointed  hopes  and  ambitions  have  been  blasted  by 
ne'er  do  well  orchards  planted  in  uncongenial  situations!  What 
feasts  of  reason  and  unreason,  what  flows  of  soul  and  other 
things  have  we  not  heard  at  meeting  of  orange  growers  during 
the  period  of  development!  How  many  citrus  fairs  once  cap- 
tivated the  public  and  centered  the  best  thought,  practice  and 
product  of  the  growing  industry!  What  learned  discussions, 
both  oral  and  printed,  the  insect  enemies  of  the  tree  and  fruit 
have  called  forth!  All  these  things,  elements  and  conditions 
about  which  even  the  most  advanced  in  the  industry  were  more 
or  less  in  doubt,  have  all  been  satisfactorily  solved.  It  is  quite 
safe  to  say  that  the  people  who  make  the  orange  and  lemon 
orchard  pay,  do  so  because  they  possess  the  "Know  How." 
Take  the  one  question  of  profitable  varieties,  how  the  law  of  evo- 
lution has  simmered  the  question  down  to  a  very  few  sorts.  "The 
survival  of  the  fittest"  was  never  more  forcibly  illustrated  than 
in  the  supremacy  of  the  California  orange  and  lemon. 


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THOMPSON    NAVELS    FRUITING  IN  THE  NURSERY  ROW 

Broadly   speaking,    California   at   present   is   producing   about      •*" 
31,000  carloads  of  citrus  fruits,  divided  as  follows: 

Southern  California  ..  28,000  carloads 

Central  California  ...  2,000  carloads 

Northern  California  ..  1,000  carloads 

This  output  represents  something  like  67,750  acres  in  bearing 
trees,  valued  at  about  $200,000,000.  The  annual  value  of  product 
is  estimated  at  $19,500,000,  varying  more  or  less  with  the  seasons. 
The  acreage  in  Florida  in  bearing  is  said  to  be  26,000  acres. 
There  is  a  small  acreage  in  Louisiana  which  in  no  way  disturbs 
our  markets.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  we  grow  fully  70  per  cent 
of  all  the  citrus  fruits  in  the  United  States.  But  beyond  this,  the 
significance  of  California  Citrus  culture  is  only  to  be  fully  ap- 
preciated when  we  allow  for  the  fact  that  commercially  consid- 
ered, we  are  the  foremost  and  greatest  producers  of  the  best 
oranges  and  lemons  in  the  world.  Wherever  the  California 
fruit  has  come  in  competition  with  that  from  other  sections 
it  has  won  its  spurs  in  the  exhibition  hall  and  in  the  market 
place. 


San   Dimas  Citrus'  Nurseries 


8 


A    Superb   Block  of  Nursery  Stock 


"  Citrus  Trees  for  the  Million;  a  veritable  sea  of  nursery  trees  in  rows  ready  for  intending  planters  everywhere." 


A    PLOT   OF    CITRUS   TREES    ON   OUR    HOME    GROUNDS. 


A    FAMILIAR    SCENE    DURING    THE    SHIPPING    SEASON. 


Poets  and  artists  have  sung  the  praises  of  the  orange  and  lemon  in  prose  and  verse  for  ages,  but  it  has  remained  for  California 
to  sing  the  praises  of  citrus  fruits  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  market  place  and  to  the  measure  of  good  American  dollars,  aggre- 
gating into  the  millions.  Were  it  not  for  this  fact,  it  would  not  be  possible  to  present  two  such  striking  views  as  the  above, 
typifying  the  extent  and  importance  of  growing  trees,  literally  by  the  hundred  thousands,  to  meet  the  demand  for  our  superb 
nursery  stock.  In  this  connection  it  is  pleasant  to  note  that  our  efforts  to  grow  a  fine  quality  of  tree  have  been  appreciated  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  where  the  orange  is  grown  in  commercial  quantities.  Indeed,  so  pronounced  have  been  our  orders,  that  by 
the  mere  force  of  circumstances  we  have  become  the  largest  growers  of  orange  and  lemon  trees  in  the  world. 


The  Growing  of  the  Trees 


9 


San  Di'mas,  California 


The  Growing   of  a  Citrus  Fruit  Orchard. 


THE   several    operations     necessary    to    the    production    of 
nursery  trees  is  a  phase  of  citrus  culture  with  which 
the  average  planter  of  an  orange  or  lemon  grove  has 
little  to  do,— he  usually  finds  that  his  chief  interest  in  the  rearing 
of  a  successful  orchard  takes  its  inception  in  the  purchase  of  trees 
from  the  nurseryman.     In  spite  of  that  fact,  however,  the  pro- 
duction of  good  trees  appeals  to  him  from  an  educational  view 


ONE-YEAR-OLD    SEED    BED    PLANTS. 

point:  it  affords  an  insight  to  the  care  essential  for  the  growing 
of  profitable  trees,  and  also  gives  emphasis  to  the  importance 
of  planting  only  reliable  true-to-name  nursery  stock.  The 
growing  of  good  plants  along  commercial  lines  is  at  best  a  matter 
fraught  with  some  risk,  much  care,  experience  and  knowledge 
of  plant  growth,  as  well  as  an  appreciation  and  an  enthusiasm 
for  the  business.  When  we  allow  for  the  fact  that  it  takes  from 
three  to  four  years  to  produce  a  merchantable  citrus  tree,  and 
that  it  requires  three  to  four  additional  years  to  bring  the  tree 
into  bearing,  the  importance  of  good  stock  is  at  once  obvious. 
To  these  basic  considerations  the  cost  of  land  and  care  must  be 
added  in  order  to  fully  appreciate  the  momentous  undertaking  of 
planting  and  bringing  an  orange  grove  into  profitable  bearing. 


Allowing  for  these  conditions  (which  must  be  met  before  the 
success  of  an  orchard  can  be  assured )  it  will  not  be  out  of  place 
to  give  a  graphic  description  of  the  methods  which  have  made 
the  trees  produced  by  The  San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries  famous 
wherever  citrus  fruits  find  congenial  conditions.  For  the  most 
part  the  methods  here  described  are  general  in  character,  though 
with  us  they  have  proven  prolific  of  the  best  results  in  the  growing 
of  citrus  trees  sure  to  yield  bountiful  and  profitable  crops,  provided 
the  conditions  of  soils  and  climates  are  at  all  favorable,  and  where 


TWO-YEAR-OLD    SEED    BED    PLANTS. 

intelligent  care  and  management  has  been  given  the  trees. 
us  view  the  subject  at  closer  range. 


Let 


EXTRACTING  SEED.— There  are  several  methods  in  general 
use  for  extracting  seed,  but  the  most  rapid  way  is  to  use  some  kind 
of  a  home-made  machine  for  thoroughly  crushing  the  fruit,  then 
using  a  screen  of  coarse  mesh  for  separating  the  seed  from  the 
pulp.  It  is  very  necessary  that  the  seed  should  be  thoroughly 
washed  and  cleaned  free  from  pulp.  If  not  thoroughly  washed 
and  cleaned  it  is  apt  to  sour  the  soil  where  it  is  planted,  causing 
the  young  plants  to  "damp-off"  after  they  have  germinated 
and  started  to  grow. 


San  Dimas   Citrus   Nurseries 


10 


Planting  the  Seed  Bed  Stock 


PLOT    OF    100  000    FLORIDA    SOUR    SEEL)    BED    STOCK    SOWN    IN    DRILLS. 


PRESERVING  THE  SEED  UNTIL  READY  FOR  USE.— 
To  insure  good  results  the  seed  should  not  be  allowed  to  become 
dry  after  being  taken  from  the  fruit,  but  should  be  healed  in 
moist  sand  in  a  cool  place,  or  kept  in  water,  and  changing  the  water 
frequently  to  avoid  having  the  seed  sour.  It  can  be  kept  for  a 
considerable  length  of  time  by  either  of  these  methods.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  in  handling  the  seed  so  as  not  to  bruise  it 
to  any  extent. 

PLANTING  THE  SEED.— The  best  season  in  the  year  for 
planting  orange  seed  is  in  the  early  spring  months,  much  depend- 
ing on  the  season;  preferably  from  March  to  May.  If  the  soil 
is  cold  the'seed  is'apt  to  decay  in  the  ground  before  germinating. 


It  is  much  better  to  wait  until  the  warm  weather  has  commenced- 
The  ground  should  be  kept  moist  after  the  seed  is  planted  so  as 
to  insure  its  germinating  properly. 

PREPARING  THE  SEED  BED.— In  preparing  the  seed-bed 
for  the  seed,  the  ground  should  be  well  plowed  or  forked  up  to 
a  depth  of  at  least  twelve  inches,  leaving  the  soil  as  loose  as 
possible.  After  preparing  the  land  in  this  manner,  it  is  necessary 
to  erect  a  lath  house  of  sufficient  size  to  cover  the  ground  to  be 
used  for  a  bed,  or  to  cover  same  over  with  burlap  or  light  cloth 
of  some  kind.  In  erecting  the  lath  house,  it  is  best  to  use  common 
plaster  laths,  nailing  them  on  1x3  battons  with  space  left  between 
each  lath  the  width  of  the  lath.  In  this  manner  the  ground  is 


PLOT   OF   200,000    SWEET    SEEDLING    SEED    BED   STOCK    SOWN    IN   DRILLS. 


Planting   the  Seed  Bed   Stock 


11 


San   Di'mas,    California 


half  shaded,  which  is  sufficient  for  the  protection  of  the  plants 
after  they  begin  to  grow.  If  it  is  undesirable  to  go  to  the  expense 
of  a  lath  house,  the  bed  can  be  successfully  covered  at  much  less 
expense  by  putting  up  stakes  at  intervals  and  stretching  wires 
on  them.  On  these  wires  should  be  strung  strips  of  burlap  or 
light  cloth.  This  protects  the  young  plants  from  the  sun. 

There  are  two  methods  of  sowing  the  seed,  the  first  being  by 
broad-casting.  After  the  seed  is  scattered,  it  should  be  covered 
to  a  depth  of  about  one  inch  with  sand  which  has  been  thoroughly 
screened  before  using.  It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  first  cover  the 
seed  with  about  its  own  thickness  of  fine  sifted  soi  before  applying 


If  the  bed  has  been  properly  cared  for  and  the  season  favorable, 
the  plants  should  be  ready  for  removing  to  the  nursery  the  follow- 
ing season,  or  one  year  from  the  time  the  seed  is  planted,  though 
if  desirable  they  can  be  carried  two  years  in  the  bed  before  being 
removed  and  with  good  success.  In  this  way  a  much  larger  lot 
of  plants  would  be  secured.  It  is  not  best  to  plant  very  small 
seed-bed  stock  in  nursery  form,  it  being  too  delicate  to  success- 
fully withstand  the  open  rays  of  the  sun  and  is  apt  not  to  start 
readily  in  the  nursery,  if  at  all.  Where  the  removing  of  the  plants 
from  seed-bed  to  nursery  can  be  delayed,  it  is  best  to  leave  them 
two  years,  as  the  stocks  vary  in  size.  If  desirable,  the  larger 


A    BLOCK    OF    100,000    SEEDLING    CITRUS    TREES,    ONE    YEAR    FROM    PLANTING,    READY    FOR    BUDDING. 


the  sand.  This  will  insure  the  seed  being  moist  at  all  times  and 
will  greatly  help  in  the  germinating  process.  In  following  the 
above  method  of  planting  it  is  necessary  to  sow  the  seed  in  beds, 
leaving  small  walks  of  sufficient  width  so  a  man  can  go  through 
to  spray  properly  when  necessary  with  a  garden  hose,  and  without 
damage  to  the  plants.  The  second  method  of  sowing  the  seed 
is  in  drills  of  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  wide,  leaving  about  a 
six  to  eight  inch  space  between  each  drill  for  the  running  of  water 
in  irrigating.  Seed  sown  in  this  maaner  will  grow  stockier  plants 
as  a  rule  than  by  the  broad-cast  method  in  beds.  However,  it 
takes  up  more  room  for  a  bed  of  an  equal  number  of  plants  than 
by  the  broad-cast  method.  After  the  seed  is  planted  it  is  neces- 
sary to  keep  it  sufficiently  watered  for  the  germinating  and 
starting  of  the  plants,  but  not  an  excessive  amount  of  water.  If  too 
much  water  is  used,  it  is  apt  to  decay  the  seed  in  the  ground. 


plants  can  be  removed  from  the  bed  the  first  year  from  the 
seed,  and  the  small  ones  left  in  the  bed  another  season.  As  the 
remainder  will  then  be  thinned  to  some  extent,  the  plants  re- 
maining in  the  bed  will  do  much  better  and  make  good,  stocky 
plants  at  the  end  of  the  second  year. 

TRANSPLANTING  THE  SEED-BED  PLANTS  TO  NUR- 
SERY ROWS. — In  taking  up  the  seed-bed  plants  for  nursery 
planting,  it  is  well  to  thoroughly  wet  down  the  bed  so  as  to  insure 
getting  all  the  root  system  possible,  and  in  loosening  the  plants 
it  is  best  to  use  a  four-tine  spading  fork.  After  they  are  thorough- 
ly loosened  they  can  be  taken  up  and  made  or  sorted  in  two  grades, 
or  the  larger  ones  can  be  pulled  out,  leaving  the  smaller  ones  to 
remain  in  the  bed  over  another  season.  If  the  entire  bed  is  to 
be  used  at  one  planting,  it  is  best  to  make  two  grades  and  plant 


San  Dimas   Citrus  Nurseries 


12 


Transplanting  to  Nursery  Rows 


SEED    BED    CITRUS    TRIFOLIATA    NINE    MONTHS    FROM    PLANTING  —  75,000    PLANTS    12    TO    20    INCHES. 


in  nursery  form  separately.  In  this  manner,  the  small  plants 
can  be  given  extra  attention  and  budded  to  some  strong-growing 
sort  to  make  up  for  the  deficiency  in  size  at  the  start.  It  is 
very  necessary  in  removing  the  plants  from  the  bed  not  to  allow 
them  to  become  exposed  to  the  wind  or  sun,  hence  as  soon  as 
sorted  pack  immediately  in  damp  moss  and  box  securely  until 
ready  for  the  nursery.  It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  cut  the  ends  of 
the  tap  roots  off  slightly  so  they  will  not  double  up  at  the  bottom 
when  planted  and  cause  the  tap  root  to  become  crooked.  A  good 
method  to  follow  is  to  take  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  plants  at 
a  time,  and  by  "using~aj3harp  tool  of  some  kind,  the  roots  can  all 


be  cut  off  at  one  stroke.  It  is  also  essential  to  cut  the  tops  back 
in  proportion  to  the  roots.  The  quickest  and  best  method  is  to 
take  a  pair  of  hedge  shears  and  trim  up  the  bed  to  suit  before 
removing.  After  the  plants  are  topped  and  forked  up  and 
packed,  they  are  ready  for  the  nursery. 

PREPARING  THE  GROUND.— The  nursery  ground  should 
be  thoroughly  plowed  and  left  as  smooth  as  possible  with  a  drag 
of  some  description  to  answer  the  purpose.  After  the  ground  is 
prepared  to  suit,  it  should  be  laid  off  in  rows,  which  can  be  done 
as  follows:  stretch  a  wire  the  full  distance  of  the  field  where  the 


LATH    HOUSE    CONTAINING    10,000   BALLED    TREES    READV   FOR   SHIPMENT. 


Preparing  the   Ground 


San   Dimas,   California 


nursery  is  wanted,  the  ground  having  previously  been  staked  off  in 
rows  the  desired  distance  apart,  and  over  the  wire  run  some  kind 
of  an  implement  to  mark  off  the  distance  apart  the  plants  are 


CITRUS    TRIFOLIATA    SEEDLING    STOCK. 
Nursery  rows  nine  months  from  planting. 

to  be  set.  An  implement  of  this  kind  can  be  made  by  taking  a 
wheel  and  nailing  or  bolting  on  to  it  at  intervals  the  distance 
apart  the  plants  are  to  be  set  small  cross  pieces  of  wood  or  iron. 
This,  when  run  over  the  wire,  will  make  impressions  in  the  ground 
where  each  plant  is  to  be  set.  The  ground  should  be  moist 
enough  so  as  to  open  properly  when  using  a  sharp  tool  or  dibble 
for  the  purpose  of  placing  the  roots  of  each  plant  in  the  soil. 
After  the  marker  has  been  run  over  the  wire,  it  can  then  be  taken 
up  and  moved  to  the  next  row  or  stakes  where  the  row  is  to  be, 
and  thus  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  workmen  in  planting  the  one 
previously  marked.  The  usual  distance  apart  for  setting  the 
plants  is  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches,  with  the  rows  four  feet 
apart.  It  is  best  to  have  the  rows  four  feet  or  more  apart  so  as 
to  allow  ample  room  for  cultivation  without  breaking  off  any  of 
the  young  buds,  and  also  room  for  a  small  sled  to  be  run  between 
the  rows  in  taking  the  trees  to  the  ends  of  the  rows  when  ready 
for  market.  Planting  too  close  together  in  the  rows,  is  apt  to 
make  the  trees  inferior  in  size,  and  if  it  is  intended  to  ball  stock 
planted  in  this  manner,  it  is  not  possible  to  cut  out  as  large  a 
ball  of  earth  with  the  root  system  as  it  would  be  if  planted  further 
apart. 

PRUNING  THE  NURSERY  PLANTS.— Plants  should  be 
pruned  but  very  little  the  first  six  months  after  being  set  in 
nursery  form.  It  is  a  better  plan  to  rub  the  sprouts  off  with  the 
thumb  and  finger  up  to  four  or  six  inches  above  the  surface  of 
the  ground  during  this  period.  This  space  leaves  sufficient  room 
for  budding  purposes.  If  the  plants  are  thus  properly  sprouted 
from  the  beginning,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  use  a  pruning 
knife  but  little  at  a  later  period. 

BUDDING. — If  a  good  quality  of  plants  have  been  set,  and 
the  season  favorable,  they  will  be  ready  to  bud  the  following  fall 


after  planting;  on  the  contrary,  if  conditions  have  been  against 
the  plants,  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  carry  them  two  years  in 
the  nursery  row  before  budding.  Nursery  stock  of  this  kind  is 
usually  budded  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  from  September  to  Decem- 
ber, much  depending,  however,  on  the  condition  of  the  weather 
and  the  plants.  By  experience  it  has  been  found  that  Citrus 
Trifoliata  plants,  being  of  a  somewhat  deciduous  nature,  should 
be  budded  early  in  September  to  insure  a  good  stand  of  buds. 
The  sap  goes  down  in  this  variety  earlier  than  in  other  seedling 
stocks.  Sweet  Seedling  and  Sour  Orange  stocks  can  be  budded 
later,  with  the  Seedling  Pomelo  and  Rough  Lemon  stocks  much 
later  than  either  if  desired.  In  spring  budding,  to  insure  a  good 
sized  tree,  it  is  best  to  bud  as  early  as  possible  or  just  as  soon  as 
the  plants  are  in  condition  to  admit  of  the  buds  being  inserted 
in  good  shape.  Fall  buds  are  preferable  owing  to  the  fact  of 
their  being  established  in  the  stock,  and  will  thus  start  to  grow 
on  the  first  flow  of  sap  in  the  "spring.  They  have  the  advantage 
over  the  spring  budding  by  about  one  or  two  growths.  To  insure 
the  buds  starting  immediately,  a  great  many  nurserymen  follow 


A    PERFECTLY    GROWN    ONE- YEAR    BUDDED    TREE. 

the  system  of  cutting  the  seedlings  off  anywhere  from  two  to  six 
inches,  directly  above  the  bud.  This  will  force  the  entire  flow  of 
sap  in  the  young  bud  and  it  will  grow  much  more  rapidly.  This 
method  also  has  a  tendency  of  forcing  all  the  buds  out  evenly. 


San  Dimas   Citrus   Nurseries 


14 


Budding 


1     A    STICK    OP    BUD    WOOD. 


It  is  unwise  to  follow  this  system  in  late  spring  budding,  as  it 
would  be  apt  to  cause  too  great  a  shock  to  the  tree  to  cut  off  the 
entire  top  when  the  full  flow  of  sap  is  running.  If  the  spring 
budding  is  late,  it  would  be  better  to  lop  the  tops,  cutting  them 
off  about  half  way  through  and  from  two  to  three  inches  above 
the  buds,  bending  two  rows  together.  In  this  way  it  will  admit 
of  the  full  flow  of  sap  and  at  the  same  time  starting  the  buds  out 
evenly.  After  the  budding  has  been  properly  done,  it  is  necces- 
sary  to  leave  the  strings  or  wax  cloth,  whichever  has  been  used,  on 
the  trees  from  twenty-one  to  thirty  days,  depending  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  stock  and  the  weather.  After  buds  are  thoroughly 
set,  tops  can  be  cut  off  or  lopped.  ( See  Fig.  8. )  In  spring  bud- 
ding, if  the  weather  has  been  unfavorable  to  bud  the  trees  early, 
and  the  season  rather  late,  it  is  unwise  to  cut  off  the  tops  entirely, 
because  apt  to  cause  a  souring  of  the  sap.  It  is  much  better  in 
this  case  to  lop  the  tops  until  the  buds  are  large  enough  to  carry 
the  full  flow  of  sap,  and  the  tops  so  lopped  will  also  serve  as  a 
protection  to  the  young  buds  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun. 
When  buds  have  attained  a  heighth  of  from  12  to  18  inches,  the 
lopped  tops  can  be  cut  off  entirely  and  removed  from  the  nursery. 

TRAINING  THE  BUDS.— It  is  necessary  to  stake  a  young 
bud  before  it  begins  to  lop  over  with  its  own  weight;  it  should 


INSERTED    BUD    KEADY    FOR    TYING. 


2    CUTTING   THE    BUD 


3    VERTICAL    INCISION. 


4     TRANSVERSE    INCISION. 


5     INSERTING   THE    BUD. 


Pruning  the  Nursery   Trees 


15 


San   Dimas,   California 


7     WAXED    CLOTH    READY    FOE    TWISTING.         9     BUD    STAKED    AND    TIED 


8     WAXED    CLOTH    TIGHTLY    TWISTED. 


then  be  tied  to  the  stake  at  suitable  distances  with  string  or 
raffia,  the  latter  being  preferable,  because  cheaper  and  easier  to 
handle.  The  strings  should  be  placed  every  four  or  six  inches 
up  the  stake  and  tied  directly  under  the  leaf.  If  tied  over  the 
leaf,  it  is  apt  to  cause  the  young  stem  to  bulge  out  underneath 
and  make  an  ill-shaped  tree.  After  the  buds  have  attained  the 
heighth  of  eighteen  inches  and  have  hardened  up  sufficiently, 
they  are  then  in  a  condition  for  the  seedling  stump  left  after  the 
lopping  to  be  sawed  or  cut  off  just  over  the  union  of  the  bud  with 
the  seedling  stock.  ( See  Fig.  9. )  This  will  force  the  entire 
growth  into  the  tree.  The  sturnp  is  then  painted,  waxed  or 
covered  with  shellac  to  prevent  cracking  or  drying  up  by  the 
weather.  After  the  seedling  tops  have  been  cut  off  or  lopped, 
there  will  be  a  great  many  suckers  or  sprouts  forced  out,  which 
should  be  removed  by  thumb  pruning.  In  training  the  young  tree 
to  a  stake,  it  is  necessary  to  keep  all  such  suckers  or  sprouts 
removed  until  the  tree  is  of  sufficient  heighth  to  head  when  the 
top  can  be  cut  off  at  the  desired  heighth  to  force  out  shoots  to 
form  the  head  of  the  regular  nursery  tree  for  orchard  planting. 
It  is  customary  with  us  to  top  all  of  our  trees  at  a  heighth  of 
thirty-three  inches,  allowing  them  to  limb  down  nine  inches. 
This  leaves  a  space  of  twenty-four  inches  from  the  lower  limbs 
of  the  tree  to  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Of  late  years  the  trade 
prefers  a  lower  headed  tree  than  formerly.  This  method  of  topping 
makes  a  tree  much  stockier  which  will  withstand  the  wind  much 


better.  A  low  headed  tree  of  this  description  also  has  the 
advantage  of  shading  its  own  trunk  from  the  rays  of  the  sun  wher. 
it  is  young  and  tender  and  in  its  first  stages  of  development. 

PRUNING  A  NURSERY  TREE  FOR  ORCHARD  PLANT- 
ING.— Before  the  tree  is  removed  from  the  nursery  to  the  orchard 
it  should  be  properly  cut  back.  This  usually  consists  of  lopping 
off  about  one-half  of  the  top,  though  some  allowance  must  be 
made  for  condition  of  the  tree,  if  balled  or  open  roots,  and  the 
weather.  It  is  of  great  importance,  however,  that  the  tree 
should  be  properly  pruned  before  transplanting.  Too  much 
foliage  will  cause  a  greater  evaporation  than  the  roots  can  stand. 

METHODS  OF  TRANSPLANTING.— There  are  two  methods 
of  transplanting  nursery  trees  to  orchard  form,  viz.,  the 
open  root  and  the  balling  system.  In  following  the  former  method 
a  trench  is  first  dug  along  side  of  the  tree  to  the  depth  at  which 
the  top  roots  are  to  be  cut.  The  soil  should  be  well  irrigated 
before  the  tree  is  taken  out  to  avoid  breaking  any  of  the  fibrous 
roots  or  disturbing  any  of  the  root  system  during  the  process 
of  removing  the  tree.  After  the  trench  is  dug  and  the  tap  root 
cut,  a  spade  is  forced  down  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree  from 
the  trench  at  a  sufficient  distance  away  to  avoid  disturbing  any 
of  the  root  system;  the  tree  is  then  pried  carefully  into  the  trench 
and  the  earth  shaken  off  the  roots.  The  roots  should  then  be 


ONE-YEAR-OLD   BUDS    BALLED   AND    STORED    FOR   CURING. 


FRUITING    VALENCIA    LATES   ON    TRIFOLIATA    STOCK    TWO    YEARS    FROM    BUDDING. 


Methods   of  Transplanting 


17 


San  Dimas,  California 


EXHIBIT    OF    THE    SAN   DIMAS   CITRUS   NURSERIES   AT    THE    ST.    LOUIS    WORLD'S    FAIR   READY    FOR  SHIPPING. 


immediately  covered  with  a  wet  [cloth  or  burlap  to  protect 
them  from  the  sun  until  the  tree  can  be  carried  out  to  the 
end  of  the  nursery  and  loaded  in  wagons  or  taken  to  the  packing 
house.  Before  boxing  trees  taken  up  in  this  manner  or  loading 
them  on  wagons  to  be  hauled  away,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  dip  the 
roots  into  a  mixture  of  earth  and  water  of  about  the  consistency 
of  paint.  This  will  cling  to  the  roots  and  thoroughly  protect  them 


from  the  sun.  A  place  to  dip  the  trees  can  be  prepared  by  digging 
a  hole  in  the  ground  some  two  or  three  feet  deep  and  of  the  width 
required,  pouring  in  water  and  stirring  with  loose  earth  until 
the  right  thickness  of  the  mixture  is  obtained. 

The  tree  is  now  ready  to  be  packed  in  wagons  or  boxes  for 
shipment  by  freight  or  express.  If  it  is  to  be  planted  in  the  near 
neighborhood,  it  is  packed  in  damp  straw  in  wagons,  but  if  for 


PORTLAND    WORLD'S   FAIR   EXHIBIT   OF   THE   SAN   DIMAS   CITRUS   NURSERIES    BEFORE    SHIPPING. 


San  Dimas   Citrus   Nurseries 


18 


Methods   of  Transplanting 


shipment  it  is  removed  to  a  shady  place  or  packing  house  and 
there  carefully  packed  in  damp  moss  in  boxes.  In  loading  in 
wagons,  after  the  roots  are  well  covered  or  packed  in  wet  straw 
the  tops  should  be  covered  over  with  a  canvas  or  something  of 
this  description  to  keep  off  the  wind  and  sun.  A  great  many 
planters  prefer  their  trees  taken  up  in  this  manner  as  it  insures  a 
much  larger  root  system. 


A   PERFECTLY    GROWN    TWO  YEAR   BDDDED    CITRUS    TREE. 

After  the  holes  have  been  properly  dug  in  the  orchard,  the  driver 
hands  out  one  tree  at  a  time  to  the  planter,  who  holds  it  in  position 
for  planting.  During  this  operation  one  or  two  men  are  employed 
to  fill  in  the  hole  with  good  soil  while  all  the  time  the  planter 
spreads  the  roots  out  carefully  in  their  natural  position.  The 
earth  for  filling  in  must  be  moist  so  the  roots  will  not  be  dry  by 
the  time  the  water  is  applied.  After  they  are  covered  to  a  suffi- 
cient depth,  the  planter  presses  the  soil  carefully  around  the  tree 
and  it  is  then  ready  for  the  water,  which  should  not  be  more  than 
fifteen  to  thirty  minutes  behind  the  planting.  The  sooner  the 


water  is  applied  the  better  it  will  be  for  the  tree.  The  soil  around 
the  tree  should  be  thoroughly  wet  to  insure  it  being  properly 
settled  around  the  roots.  After  the  tree  has  been  irrigated,  it  is 
necessary  to  go  over  it  again  before  the  ground  is  thoroughly 
settled  to  straighten  it  up  in  its  natural  position,  as  the  settling 
of  the  earth  is  apt  to  cause  it  to  lean  out  of  line.  After  the  tree 
has  been  thoroughly  irrigated  it  is  necessary  to  go  over  it  again 
with  the  water  in  the  course  of  from  eight  to  fifteen  days,  depend- 
ing on  the  condition  of  the  soil  and  the  weather.  After  this,  all 
conditions  being  favorable,  it  will  stand  thirty  days  between 
irrigations. 

In  following  the  balling  method  of  transplanting,  a  trench  is 
dug  alongside  of  the  tree  within  six  inches  of  it  and  to  the  proper 
depth,  the  tap  root  then  being  cut  off  at  the  length  desired.  With 
a  sharp  spade  the  bailer  then  cuts  the  earth  away  from  the  tree 
leaving  whatever  is  required  for  the  proper  size  of  the  ball.  This 
leaves  the  roots  undisturbed.  The  bailer  then  carefully  lifts  the 


BUDDED  TREES  TOPPED  TO  FORCE  HEADING  OUT, 

tree  out  of  the  trench  and  places  it  on  a  piece  of  burlap  cut  to  the 
required  size  while  his  assistant  carefully  lifts  up  the  ends  of  the 
burlap  around  the  top  of  the  ball  and  ties  it  up  with  binder  twine  or 
something  to  answer  the  purpose  and  of  sufficient  strength. 
By  this  method  the  ball  is  kept  from  breaking  or  being  shaken  up 
in  handling.  In  some  cases,  where  the  seedling  stock  budded 
is  very  large,  it  is  necessary  before  tying  up  the  ball  to  cut  the 
tap  root  off  even  with  the  bottom  of  the  ball  with  long-handled 
pruning  shears.  When  trees  are  balled,  they  will  seldom  wilt 
or  loose  their  foliage.  The  planting  of  balled  trees  is  carried  on 
in  very  much  the  same  manner  as  the  open  root  method,  with 
the  exception  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  the  water  applied 
so  soon.  The  ball  will  hold  the  moisture  for  quite  a  length  of 
time.  It  is  best,  however,  to  put  the  water  on  as  soon  as  possible, 
but  it  is  not  near  so  important  as  with  the  open  root  trees.  Trees 
can  be  handled  with  much  more  safety  by  the  balling  method 
of  transplanting,  and  with  less  risk  of  loss  after  transplanting. 

LAYING  OFF  THE  GROUND  FOR  PLANTING.— When 
the  nursery  trees  are  ready  for  planting  in  orchard  form,  using 
a  five  acre  plot  for  example,  planting  twenty  feet  apart  on  the 
square  method,  it  will  be  necessary  to  run  three  headlines,  one 


Laying  off  the   Ground 


19 


San   Dimas,  California 


across  each  end  and  one  through  the  center,  putting  in  stakes 
every  twenty  feet,  commencing  at  one  end  first  and  leaving  plenty 
of  room  between  the  first  row  and  the  end  of  the  plot  for  turn- 
ing purposes  in  cultivation.  After  the  headlines  are  run 
across  each  end  it  is  necessary  then  to  stretch  a  wire  lengthwise 
of  the  plot,  being  careful  to  have  it  perfectly  straight.  After 
this  is  done  stakes  should  be  set  every  twenty  feet  along  the 
wire,  which  will  mark  the  center  of  the  hole  to  be  dug.  After 
the  plot  has  all  been  staked  off  in  this  manner  and  the  holes  dug 


can  be  planted  at  any  time  in  the  year  when  the  conditions  are 
favorable,  and  this  is  determined  by  the  condition  of  the  tree  and 
the  season.  The  orange  tree  makes  several  growths  during  the 
season,  varying  in  number  and  season  with  different  varieties  and 
different  seasons.  But  there  are  periods  when  all  orange  trees  are 
dormant,  and  others  when  nearly  all  are  active.  In  transplanting, 
the  trees  should  be  taken  at  their  dormant  stage,  or  as  nearly  so 
as  possible,  as  the  shock  of  removal  will  not  then  be  so  severe 
and  the  tree  will  more  quickly  recover." 


PACKING   CITRUS    TREES    WITH    OPEN    ROOTS    IN   MOSS    FOR    SHIPMENT. 


with  the  necessary  preparations  for  planting,  a  board  should  be 
taken — something  about  1x4,  three  to  four  feet  long — with  a 
notch  cut  in  the  center  of  one  side  and  one  at  each  end.  The 
center  notch  should  be  placed  where  the  tree  stake  stands  with 
smaller  stakes  at  each  end  before  the  holes  are  dug.  This  will 
admit  of  removing  the  center  stake  while  digging  the  hole,  and 
in  planting  the  board  can  be  placed  over  the  hole  with  the  notches 
on  each  of  the  end  stakes,  the  center  notch  being  where  the  body 
of  the  tree  should  stand.  This  board  should  be  left  on  the  tree 
while  filling  in  the  earth,  and  by  following  this  method  all  of  the 
trees  will  be  perfectly  in  line  by  straightening  up  after  irrigating 
before  the  soil  becomes  packed. 

TIME  OF  PLANTING.— The  following  from  "The  Orange  in 
California"    is  to  the  point:    "The  orange,  being  an  evergreen, 


THE  LIFE  AND  BEARING  CAPACITY  OF  THE  ORANGE. 
—Under  favorable  conditions  the  orange  is  a  very  free  bearing 
tree.  Wallace  mentions  a  tree  in  St.  Micheals  that  bore  20,000 
fruits  in  one  crop.  The  longevity  of  the  tree  is  not  less  remark- 
able. At  Versailles  one  tree  is  still  growing  which  was  sown  in 
1412,  and  the  famous  tree,  now  upwards  of  35  feet  in  height,  in 
the  convent  of  St.  Sabina,  at  Rome,  is  said  to  be  more  than  600 
years  old.  Some  commentators  suppose  that  the  "Apples  of 
Gold"  were  oranges;  but  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  defintie 
evidence  that  the  orange  was  cultivated  in  Palestine  in  the  time 
of  Solomon.  More  than  700  years  later  Theophratus,  however, 
describes  the  citron  as  occuring  in  Northern  Persia  (Media),  and 
as  being  cultivated  by  the  Jewish  nation  in  Syria,  while  under 
Roman  dominion.  Locally,  there  are  a  number  of  orange  seed- 
ling trees  over  a  century  old. 


RI)SH=Perishable  I 

CITRUS  TREES  I 


SIN  DIMAS  CITRUS  NURSERIES 

S»NOIMAS.CALU.SA 


!•'  K  O  >1  • „ 

SAX  I>IMAS 


'  HAK  WIMA.S.CAUFOKKIA.If.S.A 


.-   .>  ••• 


UPPER  VIEW-BAllED  CITDUS  TREES  READY  FOR  SHIPMENT.          LOWER  VIEW-PACKED  FOR  EXPORT,  OPENED  65  DAVS  AFTER  SHIPMENT;  NOTE  THE  VOUNO  GROWTH  STARTING. 


Systems   of  Orchard  Planting 


21 


Dimas,   California 


The  Call  of  the  Soil  and  the  Trees. 


SOIL  AND  SITUATION.— The   following    from    Wickson's 
California  Fruits  will  be  found  a  safe  guide,  which  gives 
a  general  idea  as  to  soils,  climatic   conditions  and  water 
supplies  essential  to   successful  citrus  fruit  culture:    "The  soil 
should  be  a  rich  alluvium  formed  from  granite   and   limestone. 
A  hard-pan  subsoil  should  be  avoided,  while  strata  of  sand  and 


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R-M:T 


TREES   PLANTED   ON   THE    SQUARE   SYSTEM. 

gravel  are  objectionable.  A  red  subsoil,  commonly  called  clay, 
formed  from  disintegrating  granite,  well  rotted,  is  best.  The 
subsoil  should  be  fine,  but  of  a  nature  to  allow  water  to  pass 
freely  through  it.  It  should  be  deep  and  rich,  with  water  not 
less  than  30  feet  from  the  surface.  In  the  light  of  later  experi- 
ments, covering  a  wide  range  of  soils,  it  has  been  found  that 
citrus  trees  budded  to  the  sour  stock  (Citrus  Begaradia)  or  C. 
trifoliata  will  do  well  on  .soils  where  the  water  is  close  to  the 
surface.  The  surface  of  the  soil  should  be  of  a  sandy  nature,  so 
as  not  to  bake  after  irrigation.  Coarse  sand  and  granite  are  not 
objectionable  on  the  surface,  provided  the  subsoil  is  right.  A 


sediment  surface  is  good;  in  fact  any  kind  of  soil  easily  pulverized. 
The  surface  of  the  country  should  have  a  southern  exposure,  and, 
better  still,  be  backed  on  the  north  by  high  hills,  and  should  be 
reasonably  free  from  winds  and  frost.  The  hotter  the  locality 
the  better.  An  altitude  from  800  to  1600  feet  is  best.  Be  sure 
to  have  an  abundance  of  water  that  can  be  relied  upon  for  ir- 


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4     4, 


THE    TRIANGULAR   OR   ALTERNATE    SYSTEM. 

rigation — at  least  one  inch  to  every  five  acres  of  orchard;  more 
will  be  needed  when  the  orchards  grow  old." 

PREPARING  THE  LAND.— The  following  excerpts  are  from 
the  same  authority:  "Preparation  of  land  by  deep  and  thorough 
cultivation  and  laying  off  to  secure  straight  rows  by  the  square, 
quincunx,  and  hexagonal  methods,  should  be  carefully  observed. 
*  *  *  T^  orange,  in  common  with  other  evergreen  trees,  is 
exceedingly  sensitive  to  exposure  of  its  roots,  and  for  this  reason 
the  handling  of  young  trees  is  very  different  from  that  of  ordinary 
orchard  trees.  *  *  *  Exposure  of  the  roots,  or  careless 


San  Dimas   Citrus   Nurseries 


22 


Setting  out  the   Orchard 


planting,  will 
often    kill    it 


consign 
outright. 


the  tree  to  a  slow,  sickly  growth,  and 


Ir- 


- 


•-L 


M. 


4.    4. 


C 


THE   QUINCUNX    SYSTEM. 

THE  TREES. — In  making  a  selection  of  your  trees,  be  careful 
to  secure  only  the  best;  a  poor  specimen  is  an  expensive  luxury 
even  as  a  gift,  and  will  never  repay  cost  of  care  and  cultivation. 
Bear  in  mind  that  we  put  out  only  clean,  healthy,  well  grown 
and  vigorous  stock,  true  to  name  and  up  to  every  requirement 
calculated  to  produce  with  reasonable  care  and  cultiyation, 
profitable  crops  of  merchantable  fruit.  This  purchasers  can 
always  depend  on.  Our  total  acreage  in  trees  is  now  over  100 
acres,  all  of  which  is  devoted  exclusively  to  citrus  trees  of  our 
own  growing. 

SETTING  OUT  THE  ORCHARD.— Having  the  right  kind  of 
soil  in  the  proper  condition,  with  true-to  name  and  well-grown 
trees,  we  may  with  safety  proceed  to  plant.  In  doing  so,  exercise 
care  in  having  your  orchard  symmetrical  in  order  to  economize  the 
area  to  be  planted.  There  are  several  methods  or  systems 
whereby  this  may  be  attained,  and  in  order  to  make  them  clear 
and  better  understood,  we  here  present  illustrations  of  square, 
quincunx,  hexagonal  and  triangular  methods. 

THE  SQUARE  SYSTEM.— This  is  the  most  approved  method. 
The  orchard  is  laid  off  in  lines  crossing  each  other,  with  equal 
intervals  of  space,  and  a  tree  is  planted  at  each  crossing  of  lines. 
By  the  square  method,  at  20  feet  apart,  108  trees  are  planted  to 
the  acre.  The  preferable  distances  for  planting  are  twenty 
feet  for  dwarf  varieties,  twenty-four  feet  for  Navels  and  Medi- 
terranean Sweets,  and  thirty  feet  for  all  seedling  types. 


QUINCUNX  SYSTEM.— In  this  system  the  orchard  is  laid  off 
in  the  same  manner  as  for  square  planting,  except  that  the  number 
of  rows  are  doubled,  and  a  tree  planted  in  the  center  of  every 
square.  This  method  is  chiefly  used  in  planting  with  the 
idea  of  removing  the  center  trees  after  those  designed 
to  be  permanent  shall  have  attained  a  considerable  size; 
the  orchard  then  assumes  the  square  plan.  At  20  feet  apart,  199 
trees  are  planted  to  an  acre  by  this  method. 

HEXAGONAL,  OR  SEPTUPLE,  SYSTEM.— In  this  system 
the  trees  are  equilateral  (equally  distant  from  each  other)  and 
more  completely  fill  the  space  than  any  other  system  can.  Six 
trees  form  a  hexagon  and  enclose  a  seventh.  The  lines  in  the 
figure  indicate  the  method  of  laying  out  the  orchard.  By  the 
hexagonal  system,  at  20  feet  apart,  126  trees  are  planted  to  the 
acre. 

The  following  table  will  show  the  number  of  trees  to  the  acre  by 
the  square,  quincunx,  and  hexagonal,  or  septuple,  systems: 

Hexagonal 
Distance  apart.  Square     or  Septuple         Quincunx. 

10  feet  _  .  436  500  831 

12  feet  ..                 303  347  571 

14  feet  ..  ..  222  255  415 

16  feet  ..  .   170  195  313 

18  feet  ..  134  154  247 

20  feet  ..  .   108  126  199 

22  feet  .  90  103  173 

24  feet  ..  76  96  137 

30  feet 48  56  83 

Note. — In  giving  the  distances  of  trees  of  the  quincunx,  the 
fifth  or  central  tree  is  not  taken  into  account. 


--}* J«.r-. I-—.*.--  ...U U., 

....^.-.... U — U At - 


U 


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4.4L  4 


R.M.T 


THE    HEXAGONAL    OK    SEPTUPLE    SYSTEM. 


A    Word  of  Caution 


23 


San   Dimas,   California 


TRIANGULAR,  OR  ALTERNATE,  SYSTEM.— In  laying  out 
an  orchard  by  this  system,  the  lines  are  run  forming  a  square,  as 
in  the  square  system;  a  line  is  then  run  diagonally  across,  and  a 
tree  planted  alternately,  forming  a  triangle.  The  advantage  in 
this  system  is  that  the  trees  are  given  more  space,  and  can  be 
planted  closer  together  without  crowding. 

For  any  distance  not  given  in  the  above  data  calculate  the 
number  of  trees  to  the  acre  by  the  square  system,  and  add  fifteen 
per  cent.  This  will  give  the  number  if  planted  septuple. 


COMMERCIAL    SIZES    OF   CITRUS    TREES    BALLED. 

The  picture  A  shows  a  one-year  bnd,  caliper  •'«  to  ^  inch;  B  one  -year 
bud.  caliper  i<j  to  8s  inch;  C  a  one-year  bud,  caliper  5g  inch  and  all  up;  D  a 
two-year  bud,  caliper  3g  to  "4  inch;  E  a  two-year  bud,  caliper  34  inch  and 
all  up.  A,  B  and  C  are  cut  out  with  40  pound  balls;  D  and  E  ( on  special 
orders  only  )  are  cut  out  with  60  pound  balls. 

COST  OF  BRINGING  AN  ORCHARD  INTO  BEARING.— 
So  much  depends  upon  local  conditions — soil,  climate,  water,  lay 
of  the  land,  whether  the  owner  and  his  family  are  to  do  the  work, 
or  it  is  to  be  done  with  hired  labor — that  any  estimates  are  quite 
apt  to  not  apply  in  every  detail.  Broadly,  however,  the  cost  of 
preparing  and  grading  the  land  and  planting  the  trees,  will  average 
from  $15  to  $25  per  acre;  this  includes  cultivation  for  the  first 
year.  After  that,  however,  cost  of  cultivation  will  increase,  and 
be  about,  according  to  the  amount  of  labor  expended,  $15  to  $25 
per  acre  up  to  the  fourth  year.  If  the  orchard  has  been  well  cared 
for,  it  should  pay  expenses  the  third  year  from  planting;  by  the 
fourth  year  it  should  produce  about  a  box  of  fruit  to  the  tree;  the 
fifth,  one  and  one-half  to  two  boxes  to  the  tree;  and  from  that 
time  on  increase  in  productiveness  and  profit  to  its  owner  in  a 
corresponding  ratio  to  the  care  and  attention  expended  on  it. 

The  volume  of  irrigating  water  is  also  subject  to  some  fluctuation 
governed  by  local  conditions.  Usually  the  amount  would  be 
about  one  inch  to  10  acres  for  the  first  two  seasons;  one  and  one- 
half  inches  for  the  two  following  seasons;  two  inches  for  the  fifth 
and  sixth  years ;  after  that  period  an  inch  to  every  four  acres  will  be 
found  to  be  about  the  right  quantity  to  use  on  an  orchard  in  full 
bearing. 

The  expense  of  caring  for  an  orchard  obviously  hinges  on  local 
contingencies.  If  in  full  bearing,  allowing  for  the  cost  of  water  and 


cost  of  labor  in  supplying  same,  together  with  the  expense  of 
cultivation,  would  average  anywhere  from  $25  to  $60  per  acre. 
Much  depends  upon  the  owner's  resources,  environment,  and 
method  of  carrying  on  the  business. 

A  WORD  OF  CAUTION.— In  planting  an  orchard,  no  matter 
whether  it  be  citrus  or  deciduous  fruit  trees,  too  much  care  cannot 
be  exercised  in  securing  trees  known  to  be  true  to  name,  of  vig- 
orous constitution,  and  so  grown  as  to  produce  maximum  crops 
when  arriving  at  the  bearing  age.  The  victim  of  untrue-to-name 
citrus  trees  has  indeed  a  sad  experience,  and  suffers  no  end  of 
loss  and  vexatious  delays.  In  the  first  place,  the  cost  of  the  trees 
and  the  attendant  expenses  are  items  for  which  no  adequate  dam- 
ages are  ever  recovered;  and  in  the  second  place,  the  loss  of  time — 
in  the  case  of  the  orange  and  the  lemon  usually  from  two  to  four 
years — labor  and  expense  of  irrigating  and  culture  are  a  severe 
strain  on  even  the  resources  of  the  well-to-do;  and  finally,  the 
dissapointments  are  quite  apt  to  be  so  trying  as  to  drive  the  man 
who  plants  untrue-to-name  citrus  treees  out  of  the  business.  In 
no  case  does  Davy  Crockett's  celebrated  aphorism,  "Be  sure  you 
are  right,  then  go  ahead,"  apply  so  strongly  as  in  the  selection  of 


ORANGE    BLOSSOMS. 

citrus  trees  true  to  name,  when  planting  an  orchard.  Hence  avoid 
the  irresponsible  dealers  and  growers,  and  buy  only  of  old  and 
well-established  institutions.  The  truth  of  the  above  has  on 
more  that  one  occasion  been  verified  in  the  development  of 
orchards  in  California,  notably  during  the  earlier  history  of  citrus 
culture  when  many  inferior  trees  were  grown  and  also  imported. 


San  Dimas   Citrus  Nurseries 


24 


Standard    Varieties  of  Oranges 


Varieties  of  Citrus  Fruits  to   Plant  for  Best  Results. 


THE   ORANGE. 

WASHINGTON  NAVEL.— This  is  the  most  valuable  or- 
ange known.     Tree  of    moderate    growth  with  small 
thorns.     Full,  well-rounded  top;    dark  glossy   foliage. 
Blooms    heavy  and  in  California  is  one  of  the  best  and  most 
regular  bearers.     Bears  young,  generally  in  the  third  year  from 


j   t 


'!*    # 


WASHINGTON  NAVEL  ORANGE. 


planting,  and  sometimes  in  the  second.  Fruit  large  to  very  large; 
skin  generally  smooth  and  thick,  of  full  orange  color,  and  pecul- 
iarly marked  at  bloom  end,  where  a  small  irregular  secondary 


VALENCIA   LATE   ORANGE. 

orange  is  formed,  imbedded  within,  sometimes  protruding  from 
the  segments  of  the  fruit.  The  orange  is  seedless,  flesh  crisp  and 
sweet,  and  flavored  with  some  bewitching  secret  of  its  own — no 
other  taste  to  describe  it  by.  Season  early.  A  No.  1  shipper. 


THOMSON'S  IMPROVED  NAVEL.— In  character  and  habit 
closely  allied  to  the  Washington  Navel.  Fruit  of  medium  size, 
smooth  and  thin-skinned,  good  flavor,  and  comes  into  bearing 
early.  Those  desiring  a  thin-skinned,  early  Navel  for  the  holiday 
trade  will  not  go  wrong  in  selecting  this  fruit.  By  this  is  not 
meant  that  its  season  is  limited  to  the  holidays,  quite  to  the  con- 
trary, its  keeping  qualities  are  equal  to  those  of  the  Washington 
Navel.  Its  splendid  appearance,  fine  texture  of  peel,  superb 
color  and  eating  qualities  render  it  an  especial  favorite  among 
consumers  during  the  Christmas  and  New  Years  festivities,  when 
it  invariably  commands  the  market  at  good  prices. 


THE  PROLIFIC  VALENCIA  LATE  ORANGE. 

VALENCIA  LATE. — Tree  of  very  fine  and  vigorous  growth; 
light  thorns.  Early  in  bearing  and  prolific.  Fruit  of  medium 
size,  oval,  solid,  heavy.  Light  color.  Skin  rather  thin  and  of 
strong  texture.  Flesh  of  deep  and  very  rich  color,  grain  fine, 
firm  and  crisp;  abundant  juice;  excellent  flavor,  the  quality  that 
suits  the  hot  months.  Season  latest,  being  prime  after  other 


Standard   Varieties  of  Oranges 


25 


San   Dimas,   California 


varieties  become  stale,  and  maintaining  fine  quality  through 
summer  and  autumn.  Of  best  shipping  quality  and  reaches  the 
market  when  there  are  no  other  oranges  to  compete. 


THOMSON'S    IMPROVED   NAVEL. 

RUBY  BLOOD. — Medium  size,  nearly  round;  skin  thin  but 

very  tough;   pulp  melting,   rich,   juicy.     As  the  fruit  ripens  it 

usually  becomes  streaked  or  mottled  with  blood  red,  often  the 


RUBY    BLOOD   ORANGE. 


entire  pulp  gets  ruby  red,  showing  through  the  peel  in  a  reddish 
blush  on  the  outside.  One  of  the  best  blood  oranges.  The  tree 
is  vigorous,  nearly  thornless,  and  a  regular  bearer. 


MEDITERRANEAN  SWEET.— Thornless,  low,  spreading 
tree;  very  productive.  Fruit  oval,  medium  to  large;  rich  orange 
color;  inclining  to  thick  skin.  Season  middle  to  late.  Shipping 
quality  of  the  best. 


MEDITERRANEAN  SWEET  ORANGE. 

PAPER  RIND  ST.  MICHEAL.— Tree  vigorous  and  of  excel- 
lent habit;  light  thorns;  heavy  bearer.  Fruit  small,  round,  very 
solid  and  heavy.  Skin  thin,  smooth  and  of  a  very  fine  texture; 
color  pale,  almost  lemon;  membranes  thin;  grain  fine;  most 
abundant  juice;  sprightly,  excellent  flavor.  A  general  favorite. 
Season  middle.  Shipping  quality  best. 


FOLIAGE,  BLOOM  AND  FRUIT  OF  THE  RUBY  BLOOD. 


San   Dimas   Citrus   Nurseries 


26 


Standard    Varieties  of  Oranges 


PAPER   RIND   ST.  MICHAEL. 

MALTA  BLOOD.— Ripens  just  as  the  Navel  is  getting  late. 
Tree  of  slow  but  persistent,  upright  growth,  and  disposed  to  bear 
in  clusters  on  terminals;  a  heavy  bearer;  fruit  oval,  seedless,  with 
peculiar  refreshing  and  acid  flavor;  pulp  usually  splashed  with 
crimson  streaks,  sometimes  almost  solid  crimson,  though  when 
grown  in  shade  it  is  often  slightly  colored. 

SWEET  SEVILLE.— Medium  to  small;  a  good  keeper  and 
shipper.  Tree  vigorous  and  prolific.  Ripens  very  early. 

GOLDEN  VARIEGATED.— An  ornamental  sort  with  beauti- 
fully variegated  foliage.  A  novelty  in  citrus  culture. 


BOQUET  DES  FLEURS.— An  ornamental  variety  of  French 
origin,  possessing  a  very  thick  and  leathery  foliage,  of  a  light 
green  color.  The  Burgamot  oil  of  commerce  is  a  product  of  this 
variety. 


<"-' 


THE    NAGAMI    KUMQUAT    ORANGE. 

KUMQUAT  OR  KIN-KAN.— This  unique  and  curious  member 
of  the  citrus  family,  commonly  called  Kumquat  in  this  country,  is 
a  native  of  Japan,  where  it  is  known  as  Kin-Kan,  which  means 
gold  orange.  Kumquat  is  Chinese  for  the  same  meaning.  It 
bears  in  great  profusion  a  small  and  very  handsome,  deep  yellow 
fruit.  There  are  two  kinds,  alike  in  tree  and  differing  only  in 
size  and  shape  of  the  fruit.  The  Marumi  bears  a  round  fruit,  from 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  diameter;  the  Nagami,  an 
oblong  fruit  somewhat  larger.  The  latter  is  the  kind  commonly 
seen  in  this  country,  is  rather  more  desirable  on  account  of  the 
large  size  of  its  fruits,  and  is  the  one  we  offer.  The  whole  fruit, 
rind  and  all,  is  eaten,  and  people  become  very  fond  of  them.  The 
sweet  rind  and  the  agreeable  acid  pulp  makes  a  piquent  combinat- 
ion relished  by  most  palates.  Preserved  in  sugar  or  crystalized 
the  Kumquat,  wherever  it  is  known,  is  deservedly  popular. 

DANCY'S  TANGERINE.— Unlike  most  of  its  family  this  bears 
the  broad  leaf,  much  like  the  common  orange.  Ripens  with 
the  Navels;  deep  reddish  color;  skin  free  from  flesh,  and  segments 


Standard    Varieties   of  Oranges 


27 


San   Dimas,   California 


cleaving  free,  as  in  other  "  kid-glove"  oranges.  Meets  a  special 
and  limited  demand — often  at  the  very  highest  prices.  The 
tree  makes  a  beautiful  appearance,  with  its  small,  intensely- 
colored  fruits.  The  standard  variety  of  its  class. 


A    FRUITING    SPRAY    OF    DANCY    TANGERINES. 

WILLOW-LEAVED  MANDARIN.— A  delicious,  handsome 
and  favorite  sort,  of  medium  size,  flattened;  deep  yellow;  skin 
thin;  segments  loosely  adherent;  flesh  dark  orange-yellow,  spicy 


WILLOW-LEAVED    MANDARIN. 

and  aromatic.  Highly  esteemed  for  eating  out  of  hand 
because  peel  separates  readily  from  the  pulp;  rated  as  one  of  the 
best  of  the  kid  glove  type.  Tree  a  very  compact  grower,  form- 
ing a  beautiful  umbrageous  head,  hence  exceedingly  desirable 
as  an  ornamental  feature  of  the  orchard  or  garden. 


KING. — Very  large,  flattened,  and  with  loosely  adhering  rind 
and  segments,  like  all  the  Mandarin  varieties;  color  orange-red; 
skin  rough,  but  general  appearance  fine;  juicy,  meaty;  its  high 
and  peculiar  aromatic  flavor  is  very  agreeable.  Quality  the  very 
best.  Tree  upright,  strong  grower,  foliage  dark  and  rich.  June 
to  August;  keeps  in  good  condition  even  later. 


THE  KING  MANDARIN  ORANGE. 

SATSUMA    (Oonshiu,    Kii  Seedless). — Medium,  flattened;  the 
color  is  not  red,  like  the  King  and  Tangerine,  but  a  deeper  yellow 


THE    OONSHIU   OR   SATSUMA. 

than  the  Mandarin;  rind  and  segments  part  freely;  flesh  fine- 
grained, tender,  juicy,  sweet  and  delicious;  entirely  seedless;  one 
of  the  earliest  sorts  known;  fruit  ripens  as  early  as  November. 
Tree  thornless  and  bears  young. 

THE   LEMON. 

EUREKA. — The  recognized  commercial  variety  in  California, 
commanding  a  wider  market  than  any  other  sort.  Tree  of  vig- 
orous growth,  practically  thornless,  a  prolific  grower  and  heavy 
bearer.  Fruit  medium  size,  sweet  rind,  fine  flavor,  abundant 


San   Dimas   Citrus  Nurseries 


28 


Standard    Varieties  of  Lemons 


acid,  little  rag.  Cures  and  keeps  well.  A  truly  Southern  Calif- 
ornia variety,  originating  from  seed  imported  from  Hamburg  in 
1872,  from  which  trees  have  been  propagated  by  budding. 


THE  EUREKA  LEMON:  THE  CALIFORNIA  FAVORITE. 


THE  LISBON  LEMON. 

Deservedly  popular  and  commands  first  place  in   the   trade   for 
its  fine  shipping  and  fruiting  qualities. 


VILLA  FRANCA. — A  fine  variety  and  desirable  for  commer- 
cial planting.  Fruit  of  medium  size,  good  substance,  fine  flavor, 
rind  thin,  no  trace  of  bitterness,  free  acid  with  little  pulp,  fruit 
nearly  seedless.  Tree  thornless,  branches  spreading,  foliage 
abundant;  a  strong  upright  grower  setting  its  fruit  well  in  the 
foliage. 


ft,  .    \ 

>/-.:•-"-• 


PROLIFIC    FRUITING   OF   THE   VILLA   FRANCA   LEMON. 

LISBON. — Tree  of  largest  growth;  thorny.  Size  of  fruit 
medium.  Sets  well  in  the  limbs.  Fruit  oblong  with  prominent 
point;  color  bright;  rind  of  medium  thickness  and  of  soft,  excel- 
lent texture,  giving  with  the  strong  membranes  high  keeping  and 
shipping  qualities.  Abundant  juice;  acid  very  strong  and  flavor 
fine;  very  few  seeds.  Imported  from  Portugal,  and  rated  as  a 
standard  variety. 


The  Pomelo  or  Grape  Fruit 


29 


San   Dimas,   California 


A   FRUITING   SPEAY   OF   THE    EUREKA   LEMON. 


THE   LIME. 

LIMES  (Mexican). — The  lime  should  be  more  extensively 
planted.  It  makes  an  excellent  hedge,  or  the  plants  can  be  grown 
in  orchard  form.  The  lime  juice  of  commerce  is  the  product  of 
this  fruit.  The  Mexican  is  a  variety  extensively  grown  in  Old 
Mexico. 

THE  TAHITA. — A  good  sort,  yielding  a  fruit  nearly  the  size 
of  the  lemon;  practically  seedless  with  abundant  acid  of  fine 
flavor;  never  more  susceptible  to  frost  than  the  Mexican. 

THE   POMELO  OR   GRAPE   FRUIT. 


IMPERIAL    POMELO. 

IMPERIAL. — Fruit  medium  to  large,  peel  very  smooth  and 
medium  thin  and  of  fine  texture;  little  rag;  juice  abundant  and 
of  fine  aromatic  flavor;  one  of  the  best  keepers  and  shippers; 
tree  a  strong  upright  grower  and  heavy  cropper. 


MARSH    SEEDLESS   POMELO. 


San  Dimas   Citrus  Nurseries 


30 


The   Pomelo  or  Grape  Fruit 


that  germinate  when  left  late  on  the  trees  or  in  storage,  increases 
its  keeping  qualities  to  a  great  extent  and  is  another  factor 
greatly  in  its  favor.  A  three-year-old  bud  will  bear  all  the 
fruit  it  should  hold  at  that  age. 

TRIUMPH. — Medium;  peel  smooth,  clear,  thin  and  fine  grained; 
less  "rag"  than  in  most  grape  fruits,  and  fewer  seeds;  very  heavy; 
juicy  and  well  flavored.  There  is  no  bitter  in  the  juice,  flesh 
or  membranes  surrounding  the  cells  and  dividing  the  segments, 


FRUIT    AND    FOLIAGE    MARSH'S    SEEDLESS    POMELO. 

MARSH'S  SEEDLESS.— Medium  size  (will  pack  54  to  62  to 
box. )  Thin  rind,  with  about  half  the  usual  bitter.  It  is  a  true 
grape  fruit  and  not  a  hybrid,  with  all  the  characteristics  of  the 
common  varieties,  with  the  exception  of  being  almost  absolutely 
seedless.  Sometimes  you  will  find  a  fruit  containing  three  or  four 
shells  of  seeds,  but  as  a  rule  it  has  none  at  all.  With  the  absence 
of  seeds,  the  amount  of  juice  increases,  the  flavor  improves  and 
the  fruit  retains  its  noted  qualities,  and  the  pulp  or  meat  is  dark 
and  rich.  In  serving  this  fruit  you  are  not  required  to  remove 
from  25  to  40  seeds,  as  is  necessary  with  our  common  grape 
fruit,  but  is  ready  for  the  table  when  cut  in  halves.  The  fruit 
is  known  to  be  a  late  keeper.  The  fact  of  its  not  having  seed 


FOLIAGE   AND    FRUIT   TRIUMPH    POMELO. 

and  very  little  in  the  white  inner  lining  of  the  peel.     Tree  bears 
young  and  is  prolific.     One  of  the  best  of  the  improved  varieties. 

KEEPING  QUALITIES.— It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
Pomelos  possess  curing  and  keeping  qualities  equal  to  the  lemon, 
thus  lengthening  the  shipping  and  marketing  season  of  this  fruit. 


Desirable  New  Sorts  of  Oranges 


31 


San   Dimas,   California 


THE   CITRON. 


CROSS     SECTION.  THE      FRUIT. 

CITRUS    MEDICA    CEDRA. 


CITRUS  MEDICA  CEDRA  (The  Citron).—  This  is  the  true 
citron  of  commerce,  from  which  an  essential  oil  is  obtained.  Ac- 
cording to  Von  Mueller,  an  essential  oil  and  citric  acid  can  be 
obtained  from  the  fruit  in  addition  to  its  culinary  uses.  The 
fruit  is  oblong,  and  of  conical  shape;  skin  thick,  warty  and  fur- 
rowed in  some  varieties,  while  smooth  in  others,  color  lemon 
yellow  and  highly  scented;  pulp  less  acid  than  the  lemon;  tree  of 
low  spreading  habit,  and  quite  susceptible  to  frost;  blossoms  and 
fruits  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  bears  heavy  crops  early. 
The  amount  of  citron  rind  sold  in  the  United  States  amounts  to 
12,000  cases  of  250  pounds  each,  every  ounce  of  which  is  im- 
ported. The  tree  grows  well  in  California  wherever  the  lemon 
luxuriates. 


New  and   Desirable  Varieties  of  the  Orange. 


THE  first  two    varieties  of    the  ever-popular  Navel  orange 
mentioned  below   are  the   product  of  our  propagating 
ground  and  the  result  of  careful  selection  and  training. 
We   are    convinced  they    possess   some  advantages   over    other 
Navel  oranges,  hence  beg  to  announce  that  we  have  trees  to 


THE  GOLDEN  NUGGET  NAVEL  ORANGE. 

offer  for  this  planting  season.  We  fully  believe  the  Golden 
Nugget  and  the  Golden  Buckeye  Navels  are  destined  to  be  the 
greatest  additions  to  citrus  culture  in  Southern  California  since 
the  advent  of  the  Washington  Navel  in  the  early  70' s.  The 
Navelencia  mentioned  last  is  also  commanding  attention,  and 
is  really  worthy  of  consideration  on  the  part  of  intending  planters. 


THE  GOLDEN  NUGGET  NAVEL.— This  is  a  new  variety 
which  we  have  been  experimenting  with  in  our  propagating 
grounds  for  some  time  past,  and  which  we  fully  believe  will  prove 
an  agreeable  surprise  to  planters  as  well  as  shippers.  Indeed,  so 
confident  are  we  of  its  future,  that  we  are  now  offering  the  trees  in 
commercial  quantities.  The  parent  tree,  which  has  fruited  suffi- 
ciently to  test  the  fruit  as  to  quality,  shows  a  development  much 
like  the  Washington  Navel,  being  a  vigorous  grower,  of  good  habit, 
and  thornless.  In  appearance  the  tree  possesses  features  peculiarly 
its  own,  by  reason  of  its  exceptionally  dark  green  foliage,  abundant 
lateral  or  fruiting  branches,  and  fine  symmetrical  appearance, 
making  it  distinguishable  at  sight  in  a  grove  with  other  varieties. 
The  foliage  is  more  lanceolate  than  that  of  the  Washington  Navel, 
and  in  color  a  shade  darker,  not  quite  so  broad  nor  apparently 
quite  so  thick  or  leathery.  The  wood  growth,  particularly  the 
younger  branches,  are  more  slender  and  willowy,  which  makes  the 
tree  rather  umbrageous.  The  fruit  is  very  smooth,  solid  and 
thin-skinned,  very  much  more  so  than  the  Washington  Navel, 
even  at  its  best;  of  fine  texture,  the  exterior  strongly  suggestive 
of  kid  gloves  to  the  touch,  smooth  and  even  surface;  color  a 
strong  gold;  shape  rather  oblong,  good  size;  fruit  exceptionally 
free  from  rag  and  is  seedless;  flavor  delicious,  bears  young,  gener- 
ally second  year  from  planting;  a  good  shipper  and  keeper;  its 
late  ripening  period  makes  it  exceptionally  valuable  as  a  late 
navel,  when  all  other  navels  are  off  the  market;  packs  about  90 
per  cent  fancy  fruit,  rendering  it  in  every  way  a  valuable 
addition  to  our  varieties. 

THE  GOLDEN  BUCKEYE  NAVEL.— A  candidate  for  horti- 
cultural honors  that  is  sure  to  be  heard  from.  The  tree  is  a  good 
grower,  thornless,  leaves  lanceolate,  much  more  so  than  the 
general  run  of  orange  trees,  and  only  slightly  serrated;  dark  green 
in  color;  new  wood  inclined  to  grow  slender  but  of  good  strength; 
general  habit  and  appearance  of  tree  strikingly  individual;  a  pro- 
nounced characteristic  of  the  fruit,  which  makes  it  distinct  from 


San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 


Desirable  New  Sorts  of  Oranges 


THE  GOLDEN  BUCKEYE  NAVEL  ORANGE. 

all  other  varieties  of  Navels,  is  a  series  of  bands  or  ridges  of  a  deeper 
orange  color,  which  adds  much  to  the  beauty  and  renders  it  more 
than  any  other  variety,  peculiar  to  itself;  smooth  and  of  a  kid- 
glove  texture;  flavor  strongly  aromatic,  with  a  suggestion  of 
pineapple  to  the  taste;  pulp  of  fine  texture  with  but  few  segments, 
thus  affording  a  melting  and  soothing  sensation  to  the  palate; 
almost  entirely  free  from  rag;  packs  90  per  cent  fancy;  is  a  good 
keeper  and  shipper;  while  its  exceptional  earliness  gives  it  a 
commercial  value  of  first  importance. 

'  -CAUTION. — It  has  come  to  us  that  unprincipled  growers  are 
disposing  of  citrus  trees  as  coming  from  and  being  grown  by  the 
San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries.  To  avoid  deception  in  this  regard 
and  to  protect  our  patrons'  interests,  we  label  every  kind  and  sort 
of  citrus  tree  with  our  individual  label, — fac  similies  of  right  and 
reverse  sides  appear  elsewhere.  All  trees  coming  from  our  estab- 
lishment bear  this  label  as  a  guarantee  of  their  genuineness. 
See  that  your  purchases  contain  it;  otherwise  your  trees  are  not 
the  product  of  this  establishment.  R.  M.  TEAGUE. 


THE    NAVELENCIA   ORANGE. 

THE  NAVELENCIA.— A  new  variety  that  is  commanding 
some  attention  from  growers.  It  is  said  by  the  originator  to  be  a 
cross  between  the  Thomson's  Improved  Navel  and  the  Valencia 
Late,  for  it  is  claimed  the  good  qualities  of  the  former,  together 
with  a  lateness  in  ripening  which  makes  its  season  from  30  to  60 
days  later  than  the  Washington  Navel,  thus  affording  a  market  of 
its  own  between  the  marketing  of  the  Washington  Navel  and  the 
Valencia  Late.  Tree  of  good  growth,  small  thorns,  full  well- 
rounded  top,  dark  glossy  foliage,  in  character  and  habit  closely 
allied  to  other  Navels;  fruit  of  good  size,  smooth  and  thin-skinned, 
and  comes  into  bearing  second  year  from  the  bud. 

OUR  EXPORT  TRADE.— Planters  in  Mexico,  Central  and 
South  America,  the  Philippines,  Cuba,  and  other  citrus  fruit 
countries  should  bear  in  mind  that  we  make  a  specialty  of  export- 
ing orange  and  lemon  trees;  also  thatjwe  are  in  a  position  to  make 
it  to  their  interests  to  place  orders  with  us.  Our  export  trade  is 
indeed  a  growing  one,  orders  of  considerable  magnitude  having 
been  received  from  Mexico,  South  America,  the  Philippines,  Aus- 
tralia, South  Africa,  Porto  Rica  and  Cuba. 


WASHINGTON  NAVELS,  FOUR  YEARS  FROM  PLANTING. 


VALENCIA  LATES  IN  FULL  BEARING. 


The  Citrus   Tree  for  Ornament 


San  Dimas,  California 


The  Citrus  Tree  an   Object  of   Beauty, 


. 


AN    OBJECT    OF   INTEREST:    A    CITRUS   TEEE    BUDDED   TO   22   DIFFERENT   VARIETIES. 
Embracing    Navels,  Valencias,  Seedlings,  Tangerines,  Pomelos,    Lemons,  Etc. 


IT  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  foregoing  descriptions  no  cog- 
nizance has  been  given  to  the  value  of  Citrus  trees  for 
ornamental  planting  in  the  garden  or  on  the  lawn,  nor 
the  decorative  values  of  the  kid  glove  sorts  as  objects  of  beauty 
in  hall  and  corridor,  piazza  and  conservatory.  To  meet  this 
demand,  we  grow  a  small  number  of  extra  choice  trees  in  pots  and 
tubs  each  season  to  which  the  attention  of  plant  and  tree  lovers 
with  only  a  limited  area  of  land  to  devote  to  horticultural  pur- 
poses is  called.  These,  for  the  most  part,  cover  all  the  standard 
sorts,  though  in  addition  to  these  we  also  grow  a  limited  number 
of  trees  budded  from  two  to  six  varieties  of  oranges  and  lemons 
to  the  single  tree.  Plants  so  treated  possess  an  attraction 
beyond  the  usual,  being  within  themselves  a  composite  product 
of  the  striking  characteristics  of  the  different  habits  and  char- 
acteristics of  fruit]_and  tree  covering  the  number  of  varieties 


so  budded  to  a  single  root  or  stock.  These  we  especially  recom- 
mend to  planters  of  small  home  grounds  where  space  will  admit 
of  only  one  or  two  citrus  trees. 

For  city  and  suburban  home  grounds  these  specially  grown 
and  budded  trees  possess  an  economic  and  ornamental  value 
which  entitles  them  to  first  consideration.  No  evergreen  tree 
possesses  a  grace  and  beauty  beyond  that  of  our  well-grown 
orange  and  lemon  trees.  When  to  this  is  added  the  fruit  product 
of  citrus  trees,  it  is  obvious  that  no  home  garden  or  orchard  can 
be  considered  complete  without  a  representation. 

If  people  contemplating  planting  their  home  places  will  kindly 
write  us  the  area  of  ground  to  be  given  to  citrus  trees,  we  shall 
be  pleased  to  give  suggestions  as  to  varieties,  numbers,  etc.,  in 
order  to  produce  a  pleasing  effect  and  at  the  same  time  season- 
able fruiting  varieties. 


San  Dimas  Citrus   Nurseries 


34 


Irrigating  the   Trees 


Citrus  Trees  must  have   Liquid   Refreshment. 


ZIG-ZAG   SYSTEM   OF   IRRIGATION. 

THERE  are  three  methods  of  irrigation  in    Southern  Cali- 
fornia, viz.,  the  furrow,  the  basin  and  the  zig-zag  systems. 
Our  illustrations  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  practical  working 
phases  of  each.     As  the  name  implies,  the  furrow  system  consists 
of  several  furrows  plowed  between  the  rows  of  trees,  and  down 
these  the  water  is  allowed  to  flow  gradually  until  the  ground  is 
thoroughly  saturated.     In  furrow  irrigation  the  water  should  be 
allowed  to  run  very  slowly  in  order  to  percolate  through  the  soil 
to  a  considerable  depth  and  at  the  same  time  prevent  its  washing 
down  and  leaching  out  the  ground. 


BASIN    SYSTEM   OF   IRRIGATION. 

The  basin  system  consists  in  each  tree  being  basined,  an  oper- 
ation usually  performed  by  a  plow  or  what  is  known  as  a  blocker 
or  ridger,  which  consists  of  a  V-shaped  implement  made  of  wood 
and  iron  or  iron  alone.  This  throws  up  a  ridge  or  embankment 
of  earth  around  each  tree,  which  is  allowed  to  fill  with  water 
from  the  main  furrow,  once  or  twice.  In  this  way  the  whole 
grove  is  treated,  each  basin  being  filled  independently  from  the 
the  main  furrow  between  the  rows  of  trees  which  tap  your  main 
supply  ditch. 

The  zig-zag  system  is  an  improvement  on  the  basin  system,  and 


FURROW   SYSTEM  OF   IRRIGATION. 


Irrigating  the   Trees 


35 


San  Dimas,  California 


IRRIGATING   A    HILLSIDE   ORCHARD    BY   CONTOUR   FURROWING. 


consists  in  the  orchard  being  first  cross-furrowed,  then  ridged 
lengthwise,  as  indicated  in  illustration  (shown  on  page  34 ) .  Its 
chief  advantages  consist  in  obviating  a  baking  of  the  soil  by  not 
covering  the  entire  surface  of  the  ground  with  water,  thus  afford- 
ing sufficient  dry  earth  to  make  a  mulch  when  cultivated  over  the 
entire  irrigated  surface  (an  operation  which  can  be  done  sooner 
after  irrigation  than  in  the  basin  system.)  This  leaves  the  soil 
friable  and  at  the  same  time  conserves  the  moisture  in  the  ground, 
which  obviously  is  a  great  advantage  over  the  basin  system. 

Irrigation  on  rolling  or  hilly   ground  is  of  itself    quite  an  art, 
and  is  practiced  by  running  furrows  on  the  contour  so  as  to  guide 


the  water  without  overflowing  and  thus  flooding  the  soil.  The 
artificial  application  of  water  to  side  hill  orchards  is  only  feasible 
by  the  furrow  system  in  the  manner  indicated  in  the  illustration. 
It  is  an  axiom  among  fruit  growers  in  Southern  California  to 
first  find  your  water  and  then  look  for  a  good  piece  of  land|on 
which  to  put  it.  This  illustrates  the  importance  of  a  reliable  sup- 
ply of  water  for  irrigation  purposes  when  planting  and  cultivating 
an  orange  grove.  Indeed,  in  the  climate  of  California,  portions  of 
Old  Mexico  and  far-off  Australia  and  South  Africa,  citrus  culture 
is  only  feasible  where  there  is  an  available  water  supply  with 
which  to  carry  the  trees  over  the  dry  season. 


A  THOMSON  NAVEL  GROVE. 


A  EUREKA  LEMON  GROVE. 


San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 


36 


Fertilizing  the   Growing  Orchard 


For  the  Land's  Sake  Feed  the  Trees. 


EXPERIENCED    growers   know    that   orange    and   lemon 
trees  are  gross  feeders,  and  hence  respond  quickly  to  an 
application  of  plant  food  to  the  soil.     In  California,  and 
for  that  matter    in  the  arid  regions  quite  generally,  the  soil  is 
naturally  rich,  and  when  the  tree  is  planted  on  virgin  ground, 
it  will  do  well   without  any  application  of  fertilizer  for  the  first 
few  years;  after  that,  however,  some  recognition  must  be  given 


The  experience  of  orange  growers  indicates  that  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  the  fruit  may  be  very  largely  controlled  by  fertiliza- 
tion, and  as  oranges  are  purchased  entirely  upon  their  appearance 
and  quality,  this  becomes  a  very  important  consideration  through- 
out this  region.  Fertilization  should  be  carried  on  with  but  one 
object  viz.,  to  enhance  quality  and  quantity  of  fruit. 

Touching  kinds  of  fertilizers  and  values  of  stable  manure,  a 


CITRUS  ORCHARD  PLANTED  TO  FIELD  PEAS  TO  BE  PLOUGHED  UNDER  AS  GREEN  FERTILIZER. 


the  orchard  in  this  regard.  Its  extent  and  characters  obviously 
a  matter  of  local  conditions,  to  which  the  intelligent  grower 
will  give  careful  attention,  and  act  in  compliance  with  the  best 
practice  of  the  successful  and  experienced  growers  in  his  locality. 
In  sections  where  the  soil  is  shallow  it  is  expedient  to  apply 
a  fertilizer  every  year  from  the  time  the  orchard  is  planted.  In 
the  rich  soils  of  California,  it  has  been  found  that  nearly  all 
the  subsidary  elements  of  plant  food  are  present,  and  hence 
only  the  four  leading  elements  must  be  supplied,  viz.,  nitrogen, 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  and  in  rare  cases  lime.  These  must 
be  replaced  in  the  soil  of  orchards  subject  to  constant  cropping. 
The  intelligent  grower,  therefore,  will  be  quite  apt  to  see  to  it 
that  his  trees  do  not  suffer  for  the  want  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash,  because  these  are  the  elements  which  the  crop 
annually  draws  from  the  ground,  and  which  must  be  replaced. 


report  to  the  Riverside  Horticultural  Club  on  this  subject  contains 
the  following  suggestive  paragraph: 

"The  question  of  fertilizers  for  the  orange  orchard  has  in  some 
form  been  almost  continuously  before  the  club.  What  kind  of 
fertilizers  are  the  best,  and  how  and  when  they  should  be  put  on? 
are  questions  often  asked,  but  never  as  yet  answered  to  the  satis- 
faction of  all.  It  is  known  that  the  different  commercial  fertiliz- 
ers on  the  markefare  good,  and  when  freely  applied  they  generally 
give  satisfactory  results.  But  growers  believe  that  they  are  too 
expensive,  and  that  by  buying  the  chemicals  and  doing  their  own 
mixing,  or  by  applying  the  chemicals  in  suitable  quantity  to  the 
soilVithout  mixing,  they  may  reduce  the  expense  about  one-half. 
There  is  a  growing  conviction  among  orchardists  that  stable 
manure  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  fertilizers,  when  it  can  be 
secured  at  reasonable  figures.  One  small  Navel  orchard  in  River- 
side, fifteen  years  old,  a  part  of  which  has  been  fertilized  exclus- 
ively with  stable  manure,  has  borne  regularly,  and  the  fruit  has 
been  fully  up  to  the  average  standard  of  quality." 


Harvesting   the  Crop 


37 


San   Dimas,   California 


The  Atmosphere  of  the  Market  Place. 


FOR  the  sake  of   an    argument  we  will    now  assume    that 
you     have    been     eminently    successful    in    establishing 
an    ideal    orange   or    lemon    orchard;     that    your   trees 
meet  your  anticipations  as  to  beauty  of  form  and  bearing  qual- 
ities and  prove  to  be    true-to  name;    that  your  soil   has    demon- 
strated  its   adaptability  to  the  growing  of  citrus  fruits;     that 


CALIFORNIA    PICKING    SACK. 

your  methods  of  cultivation  and  irrigating  have  "made  good" 
and  that  the  luxuriant  green  of  the  foliage  coupled  with  the  fine 
quality  of  your  fruit  has  verified  the  intelligence  you  have  exer- 
cised in  supplying  the  proper  elements  of  plant  food.  What 
next?  Only  this:  you  have  still  to  prove  the  quality  of  your 
citrus  fruit  pudding  by  its  eating.  In  other  words  you  have  to 
prove  that  you  can  properly  harvest  and  market  the  fruit  in  order 
to  realize  that  "There  is  money  in  growing  oranges  and  lemons." 
These  premises  being  conceded,  let  us  picture  to  ourselves  a 
splendid  grove  of  something  like  forty  acres  in  full  bearing.  The 
fruit  is  superb  in  quality  and  gratifying  to  our  sense  of  fullness 


and  quality.  It  is  in  just  the  right  condition  for  marketing 
and  shipping,  and  hence  it  is  of  importance  that  we  so  handle 
it  that  it  shall  reach  the  consumer  with  all  its  natural  beauty 
of  form  and  flavor  unimpaired.  To  accomplish  this,  certain 
operations  are  essential,  which  may  be  described  and  should 
in  the  main  be  carefully  observed. 


THE   EVER    BEAUTIFUL    KUMQUAT. 

The  necessary  number  of  hands  to  accomplish  the  task  are  on 
the  ground;  the  matter  of  conveyances  to  the  packing  houses 
provided,  and  the  paraphernalia  for  expediting  the  work  supplied. 
Each  one  of  the  pickers  is  supplied  with  a  modern  picking  sack 
with  a  false  bottom  capable  of  holding  something  like  fifty  oranges 
and  one  hundred  lemons — everything  depending  on  the  size  of 
the  individual  fruits — a  pair  of  orange  clippers,  and  a  ladder,  the 
latter  depending  for  its  size  upon  the  spread  and  heighth  of  the 
tree  from  which  the  fruit  is  to  be  gathered.  In  harvesting  a  crop 
care  must  be  taken  to  cut  the  stem  with  the  clipper  close  to  the 
fruit,  taking  each  fruit  in  one  hand  while  performing  the  act  of 


San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 


38 


Practices  in  Packing  and  Shipping 


THE    HUM   OF   INDUSTRY    PACKING   A   CALIFORNIA   CROP   OF   CITRUS    FRUITS. 


CITRUS    FRUITS   FOR   THE   NATION:    HOW   THE    30,000   CARLOADS    ARE    TREATED    IN    THE    PACKING   HOUSES. 


How  to  Harvest  the  Fruit 


39 


San  Dimas,  California 


clipping  with  the  other.  When  cut,  the  orange  should  be  care- 
fully placed  in  the  picking  sack  with  as  little  handling  and  jost- 
ling as  possible.  When  the  picker  has  filled  his  sack  he 
then  empties  it  carefully  into  the  picking  boxes  previously 
provided  in  close  proximity  to  his  location  in  the  orchard.  This 


A  STANDARD   LEMON   PACK. 

also  should  be  carefully  done,  by  placing  the  sack  with  its  contents 
gently  into  the  box,  then  unhook  the  bottom,  when  it  should 
be  gently  pulled  away  from  its  contents,  allowing  the  fruit  to 
roll  out  easily  into  the  box,  but  not  filling  it  so  close  to  the  top 
as  to  run  the  risk  of  bruising  in  piling  one  box  over  the  other. 
This  operation  is  repeated  until  the  requisite  number  of  boxes 
are  filled  constituting  a  wagon  load,  when  the  fruit  is  hauled  to 
the  packing  house.  In  the  case  of  the  lemon,  the  picker  grades 
the  fruit  suitable  for  cropping  and  curing  according  to  size, 
which  is  determined  by  means  of  a  ring  carried  in  the  hand,  de- 
noting the  diameter  of  the  fruit  desired. 

This  practically  constitutes  the  operations  in  the  orchard, 
from  which  the  fruit  is  conveyed  to  the  packing  house  in  wagons 
provided  with  springs  calculated  to  obviate  jolts  and  consequent 
bruising  and  damage  to  the  fruit.  Arriving  at  the  packing 
house  the  fruit  is  first  submitted  to  a  thorough  cleaning  by  pass- 
ing through  a  series  of  revolving  brushes  which  remove  all  delet- 
erious substances  and  dirt  which  is  in  turn  cleared  away  by  auto- 
matic blowers  and  finally  removed  to  the  outside  of  the  building 
by  suction;  from  here  the  fruit  goes  directly  into  automatic 


weighers,  which  dump  it  when  the  requisite  weight  is  attained, 
then  it  passes  into  a  contrivance  known  as  a  grader  or  sizer, 
which  designates  in  its  operation  the  several  sizes  that  go  to  make 
up  a  box  of  fruit.  While  passing  over  the  grader  or  sizer,  hand 
graders  are  stationed  at  regular  intervals  who  remove  the  "stand- 


A    PACKED   BOX   OF   ORANGES. 


ard,"  "off"  and  "cull"  grades,  placing  them'into  boxes  according 
to  their  classification.  In  oranges  the  regular  sizes  are  126,  150, 
176,  200,  216;  small  offs  250,  324,  360;  large  offs  64,  80,  96,  112. 
Each  number  designates  the  actual  quantity  of  individual 
fruit  to  the  box,  As  the  different  grades  are  carried  over  this  belt 
the  smaller  fruit  reaches  the  sizer  first  and  is  carried  to  its  bin, 
the  second  second,  and  so  on  until  the  largest  specimens  are 
delivered  at  the  last  bin  in  the  line.  This  operation,  in  a  large 
establishment,  is  continuous  during  the  shipping  season  cover- 
ing a  working  day.  At  each  bin  there  is  stationed  a  packer, 
whose  business  it  is  to  wrap  each  fruit  in  an  independent  tissue 
wrapper,  placing  the  same  carefully  into  the  box  in  which  the 
fruit  reaches  the  consumer.  To  save  time  and  expedite  the 
work,  others  take  the  filled  box  from  the  hands  of  the  packer  at 
the  bins  and  convey  them  to  the  box  press  where  they  are  auto- 
matically pressed  down  and  held  in  place  while  the  operator 
securely  nails  down  the  top  and  stamps  the  number  and  grade 
of  oranges  in  each  box  on  the  label  end.  From  here  the  packed 
boxes  are  stacked  one  upon  another  on  their  sides  to  the  required 
height  ready  for  trucking  into  the  car.  Usually  the  labels  desig- 


San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 


40 


Standard  Packs  for  Citrus   Fruits 


Standard   Packs  for  Oranges  and  Lemons  used  by  the  Trade  in  California. 

ORANGES. 


STANDARD   80-PACK.  FOUR   LAYERS. 

(FOR  48-PACK  SEE   POMELO.) 


STANDARD   96- PACK. 


FOUR  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  112- PACK. 


FOUR  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  126-PACK. 


FIVE  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  150-PACK 


FIVE    LAYERS. 


STANDARD    176- PACK 


FIVE  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  200- PACK. 


FIVE  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  216-PACK. 


SIX  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  250  PACK. 


SIX  LAYERS. 


STANDARD  324-PACK. 


SIX  LAYERS. 


The  Lemon  and  Pomelo  Pack 


41 


San  Dimas,   California 


LEMONS. 


STANDARD    210- PACK. 


SEVEN   LAYERS. 


STANDARD  J240-  PACK. 


FIVE   LAYERS. 


STANDARD  270-PACK. 


FIVE    LAYERS. 


STANDARD   300- PACK. 


SIX    LAYERS. 


STANDARD    360-PACK. 


SIX   LAYERS. 


STANDARD   420-PACK. 


SIX    LAYERS. 


STANDARD   490-PACK. 


SEVEN   LAYERS. 


POMELO. 


STANDARD    36-PACK. 


THREE   LAYERS. 


V 


STANDARD   48-PACK.  THREE    LAYERS. 

(SAME  FOR  LARGE  OFFS,  48-PACK  ORANGES.) 


STANDARD   80  PACK. 


FOUR   LAYERS. 


STANDARD    96 -PACK. 


FOUR   LAYERS. 


San  Dimas   Citrus  Nurseries 


42 


Fruit  Packing  Scenes 


INTERIOR   SCENES   IN   CALIFORNIA   CITRUS    FRUIT    PACKING   HOUSES. 


HAND    GRADING   AND   PACKING    LEMONS. 


Things   to   Observe  in   Packing 


43 


San  Dimas,  California 


nating  the  grade  are  placed  on  the  empty  boxes;  this,  however, 
is  not  imperative.  A  carload  of  packed  oranges  varies  some  in 
number  of  boxes  in  keeping  with  the  size  of  car.  A  36-foot  car 
will  take  336  boxes,  a  40-foot'  car  384,  and  a  42-foot  car  409— the 
latter  is  a  late  introduction,  which  it  is  hoped  will  become  popu- 
lar in  the  near  future.  In  lemons,  the  36-foot  car  will  take  288 
boxes,  the  40-foot  312  and  the  42-foot  336.  When  packed 
the  boxes  are  placed  on  end  with  a  space  for  ventilation 


It  has  been  said  that  the  apparel  oft  proclaims  the  man  and 
it  is  also  true  that  the  package  often  sells  the  goods.  Be  sure 
your  pack  is  uniform  and  true  to  grade,  mark  your  package  or 
box  true  to  name,  quality,  number  and  size;  pack  boxes  full, 
solid  and  uniform— fruit  at  top,  bottom  and  center  all  alike. 
Establish  a  reputation  for  honesty  and  neatness,  and  invite  buyers 
by  making  your  product  attractive.  Give  value  for  value,  and 
you  can  rest  assured,  success  will  be  yours. 


A    SPLENDID   NAVEL   ORANGE    GROVE    AT    SAN    DIMAS,    CAL. 


between  each  and  every  box,  made  feasible  by  nailing 
small  strips  of  lumber  of  sufficient  strength  crosswise  of 
the  'car.  This  done,  the  car  is  ready  to  be  sealed  and  sent  to 
its  destinatian.  Every  establishment  has  its  own  individual 
car  banner  indicating  where  the  fruit  was  grown  and  packed. 

In  the  main,  much  the  same  procedure  is  observed  in  packing 
lemons,  the  differences  being  substantially  as  follows:  with  lemons 
the  fruit  is  graded  exclusively  by  hand  at  the  time  of  shipment. 
Curing  is  in  many  cases  optional,  much  depending  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  market. 

Too  much  caution  cannot  be  observed  in  handling  citrus 
fruit  from  the  moment  it  is  clipped  from  the  tree  until  sealed  up 
in  a  car  only  to  be  again  handled  at  points  of  destination.  Treat 
each  individual  specimen  as  though  it  was  an  egg  and  your  pro- 
duct will  not  only  "stand  up"  under  the  wear  and  tear  of  hand- 
ling and  transporting,  but  will  invariably  bring  you  a  better 
price,  and  enhance  your  reputation  as  a  grower  of  fancy  fruit. 


Let  us  digress  for  a  moment  from  the  general  topic  of  harvest- 
ing and  marketing,  and  note  more  specifically  the  different  meth- 
ods and  plans  for  packing  the  various  sizes  of  oranges  and  lemons. 
To  begin,  the  standard  California  orange  box  is  11^x11^x26 
inches  outside  measurements,  divided  into  two  compartments; 
the  standard  California  lemon  box  is  10^x14x27  inches  outside 
measurements,  divided  also  into  two  compartments.  Pomelos 
are  packed  in  the  orange  box,  while  the  Tangerines,  Madarins 
and  other  kid  glove  varieties  are  packed  in  half  boxes  of  the 
orange  size,  two  of  which  are  cleated  together  for  shipment.  In 
rare  instances  they  are  packed  in  quarter  boxes,  four  being 
cleated  together.  For  the  benefit  of  growers,  beginners  in  pack- 
ing citrus  fruits,  and  for  the  instruction  of  all  interested,  we 
submit  plans  on  pages  40  and  41  for  packing  the  several 
standard  grades  in  which  citrus  fruits  are  handled  by  the  trade 
in  California,  which  are  self-explanatory.  Growers  following 
these  plans  will  find  that  they  work  out  correctly. 


Fumigating  Citrus    Trees 


44 


San   Dimas,   California 


FUMIGATING   CITRUS    TREES    FOE    BLACK    SCALE    WITH    HYDROCYANIC   ACID    GAS. 


TWO-YEAR-OLD    WASHINGTON    NAVEL    GROVE,    FOOTHILLS    OF    SOUTHERN    CALIFORNIA. 


A    Word  in  Conclusion 


45 


San   Dimas,   California 


An  Appreciation   and  a   Promise. 


IT  has  been  said  that  the  man  who  succeeds,  does  so  because 
possessing  the  "  know  how."  To  no  business  does  this 
aphorism  apply  so  strongly  as  it  does  to  Citrus  fruit  grow- 
ing. Obviously,  in  its  physical  aspects  it  is  one  of  the  most 
alluring  occupations  of  suburban  life.  When  to  this  attractive- 
ness is  coupled  material  gain, — a  handsome  return  for  capital 
and  labor— it  immediately  becomes  an  object  appealing  alike 
to  our  sense  of  gain  as  well  as  pleasure.  No  one  division  of  our 
horticultural  development  combines  utility  and  beauty  in  so 
wide  a  sense,  and  no  other  line  of  fruit  growing  in  the  United 
States  can  show  a  growth  covering  so  small  an  area  and  only  a 
trifle  over  a  quarter  century  old,  whose  investments  represent 
two  hundred  millions  of  dollars  and  an  annual  output  of  nearly 
twenty  millions  more.  To  have  in  only  a  small  measure  been 
instrumental  in  this  development  is  with  us  a  pleasant  recollect- 
ion; to  be  conscious  of  the  fact  that  literally  thousands  of  citrus 
trees  now  yielding  bounteous  crops  are  the  product  of  the  San 
Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries,  is  to  us  a  satisfaction  and  a 
joy.  So  keenly  appreciative  are  we  of  this  distinction  that  it 
shall  ever  be  our  aim  to  supply  the  citrus  fruit  growers  with  the 
best  trees  that  care,  skill,  experience  and  our  natural  advantages 
of  soil  and  climate  can  possibly  be  made  to  produce.  Our  inter- 
ests and  ambitions  are  to  serve  all  directly  interested  in  citrus 
fruit  farming,  not  only  in  the  establishment  of  new  groves,  but 
also  in  the  maintenance  of  those  already  in  bearing.  In  this 
connection,  we  are  always  willing  to  lend  the  helping  hand  in 
the  way  of  suggestion  and  consultation,  realizing  that 
that  which  is  to  the  interest  of  the  grower  has  a  direct 
bearing  on  the  future  of  this  business.  The  success  of  citrus 
fruit  production  and  marketing  is  of  as  much  concern  to  us  as 
the  production  of  citrus  trees.  Feeling  this  way,  we  shall  always 
appreciate  rendering  assistance  to  those  who  are  part  and  parcel 
of  its  personnel  and  success. 


POMELO   TREE    IN    FULL    BEARING.'"" 

The  above  illustration  is  a  splendid  object  lesson  of  the  bearing  qualities 
of  the  citrus  trees  grown  by  this  establishment. 


San  Dimas   Citrus  Nurseries 


46 


A   Northern  Grove 


THE    IMPERIAL    POMELO   IN   FULL   BEARING. 


A   CITRUS   GROVE    IN   NORTHERN    CALIFORNIA. 


San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 


47 


;  The  Sign  of  Quality 


The  Citrus  Nurseries  of  Quality. 

BEAR  in  mind  that  all  trees  coming  from  the  San  Dirnas  Citrus  Nurseries  possess  the 
elements  ef  quality  in  a  superlative  degree;  that  never  knowingly  is  an  inferior  spec- 
imen allowed  to  leave  the  establishment ;  that  the  matter  of   quality  permeates  every 
department  of  this  business, —  quality  in  the  seedling  stock,  in  the  selection  of  well  devel- 
oped buds  cut   from  "typical  full   bearing   trees  of   each  variety,   in  the   development  and 


San  Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 


Washington  Navel 


THE   LABEL   OF   QUALITY  —  SHOWING    FACE   AND    REVERSE    SIDE. 


training  of  the  tree,  in  the  growing,  packing  and  shipping.  Our  trees  having  attained  a 
world -wide  reputation  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  itinerant  tree  peddlers  and  irresponsible 
dealers  often  represent  their  citrus  stock  as  coming  from  our  nurseries.  In  lieu  of  these 
facts,  we  label  trees  with  our  private  label,  a  facsimile  of  which  appears  herewith.  In 
order  to  protect  the  trade  against  imposition  we  so  label  all  stock,  and  patrons  are  cautioned 
against  accepting  trees  as  coming  from  this  establishment  without  this  sign  of  quality. 


San  Dimas  Citrus  .  Nurseries 


48 


Yucca   Tree  Protectors 


LEMON    BUDDED   TO    NAVELS. 


A    WELL  GROWN    LEMON   TREE. 


MARSH'S    SEEDLESS    POMELO. 


The  "Boss"   Tree  Pngectors. 

^ 


IN  planting  a  citrus  orchard  it  is  of  prime  importance  to  af- 
ford the  trunks  of  the  young  and  comparatively  branchless 
trees  some  protection  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  un- 
til they  attain  sufficiently  umbrageous  heads  to  afford  a  shade. 
This  can  be  economically  and  easily  attained  with  the  "  Boss  " 
Yucca  Tree  Protectors,  which  are  of  low  cost  and  serve  the  pur- 
pore  admirably.  They  are  made  from  the  wood  of  the  Yucca 
palm,  hence  are  light  in  weight  as  well  as  color,  affording  a  per- 
fect protection  against  rabbits,  grasshoppers,  borers,  the  winter 
frosts  and  summer  suns.  By  reason  of  pliableness  they  are 
readily  adjusted,  no  tieing  or  wrapping,  while  the  porous  nature 
of  the  wood  allows  of  the  free  circulation  of  air.  They  are  eas- 
ily removed  and  not  affected  by  the  rain. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  cheap,  efficient,  durable,  and  just 
the  thing  for  the  purpose.  Made  in  all  sizes  and  widths. 

Free  samples  on  application. 


^ches  long,  7  inches  wide. $17.50 

:hes  long,  7  inches  wide 15.00 

flies  long,  7  inches  wide 12.50 

16  inches  long,  7  inches  wide 11.25 

14  iBcnes  long,  7  inches  wide 10.00 

;s  long,  7  inches  wide 9.00 

is  long,  7  inches  wide 8.00 

$1.50  per  inch  per  1000 

1.30  per  inch  per  1000 

1.10  per  inch  per  1000 

12  inches, 0.90  per  inch  per  1000 

10  inctu*^ 0.70  per  inch  per  1000 

9  inches^?* 0.60  per  inch  per  1000 

inchesLg^. 0.40  per  inch  per  1000 

Trade  supplied  in  any  quantities. 


SAN    DIMAS   CITROUS   NURSERIES, 

DIMAS,    CALIFORNIA. 


The  Kruckeberg  (Press,  Horticultural  Printers  and  Engravers,  Los  Angeles. 


Gold  Medal  Citrus  Trees 


OUR  WINNINGS    AT  THREE  WORLD'S    FAIRS. 

San   Dimas  Citrus  Nurseries 

R.  M.  TEAGUE,  OWNER, 
SAN   DIMAS,  CAL,  U.  S.  A. 


7  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

AgifEC,  RslFcffsinice  S®r«Ticc 

This  publication  is  due  on  the  LAST  DATE 
stamped  below. 

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RB  17—  60m  8  '61                                      General  Library 

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